Back in the Day: The Tournament
by The Grey Coincidence
Summary: The House of Tamod... a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with great reward. With over a dozen of China's best competing, what could possibly go wrong for Badr Tamod in his quest to win a prize that will send his entire family out of poverty for the rest of their lives...and some.
1. Free Lunch

Badr stared hungrily at the almost lavish plates of food the waiters set on the elaborate tables; to feed the paying customers. The plates would have been lavish if Badr could try them, but with not a coin in his pockets he could not.

He was seventeen years of age, wiry, with an unhealthy thinness about him that was almost twig like. Indeed it looked like you could have snapped his arms in two without much effort. His fur was pitch black, like darkness, but so matted and dirty you could mistake it for a shade of grey. His eyes tiny and bright green. He wore a pair of ripped black pants, with a yellow shirt that was as old as the sun and had been worn by nearly every single one of his siblings before him. His belly was empty, and grumbled in complaint. The cat merely stared at the food being served.

On most days he would be given a small loaf of bread to stop him from bothering the establishment. That normally satisfied him for a couple of hours, which he would spend scouring the streets for any sign of a coin he could use to pay for a proper meal. Today, however the noodle shop was preoccupied dealing with the new masses of customers. He recognized some, the people who came here regularly and gave him dirty looks, or pretended not to see him at all. Most, however, were from out of town. Some spoke in odd dialects of Chinese, others in a language he could not place. It made no difference however, as they all treated him the same way as the regular customers, ignoring him, or twitching their noses. That made him angry. So what if he couldn't afford to have standards, that didn't make him beneath them in any way.

His belly grumbled again, this time louder. Coming to the conclusion that he wouldn't get anything there, he got up and clicked every bone in his body, attracting quite a few stares, which he ignored. He strolled out of the noodle shop, and bumped into two long wiry feet. He looked up, not bothering to hide his scowl.

He had bumped into a bird of some kind, with long, thin legs, and feathers of multiple shades of grey. The avian wore a few bandages around his waste, to cover what had to be covered, and some on his feet. Aside from that the only other item of clothing he wore was an elaborate headpiece that seemed to add horns to his figure.

Chang Shuimian stared at the small cat standing at his feet, before turning towards the assembled customers. "I like my men at my feet".

This brought an uproar of laughter from the customers, while Badr merely scowled some more. He barged past the stork in order to leave, but was grabbed by the back of the shirt.

"Who's hungry ? Because my friend here looks like he could do with some feeding".

This brought a bit less laughter, but was still a successful joke.

"Lemme go you creep"! Badr complained, struggling to get free from Chang Shuimian's grip.

"You", the stork fixed his gaze upon the waiter. "Fetch me a table and two of your most filling meals."

Badr eventually stopped struggling at the promise of free food, and resigned, let himself be taken to a table at the corner of the restaurant and seated. Badr visited the restaurant every second day, and yet this was the first time he felt the softness of their seats against his backside. He almost purred. _Almost_. But he was still salty after the last two jokes. He placed his paws against his cheek, and sat, staring up at the stork and his odd grey eyes, trying to figure him out. Was this just some cruel noble playing some cruel joke ? Was he a genuine benefactor ?

"I see you're trying to figure me out", Chang Shuimian spoke plainly.

"I wasn't trying to be subtle", Badr defended immediately.

"Ooooh, prickly are we ?"

"Shut up !"

"I think you could use some manners."

"You could use more clothes."

The stork sighed, though his cheerfulness had not yet left him. "Just be glad I'm paying for your meal."

"And why are you doing that ? I never asked you to !"

"Will you calm down ? I'm rich enough as it is, why not share the riches with the needy."

"Do I look dumb to you ? I've seen rich people before, and they don't share. You only give something if you want something back. And what I'm really trying to figure out is what you want back !"

The meals arrived. A large portion of dumplings, and two large, hot, steaming bowls of soup. Badr drooled. He couldn't help himself. "What I want back is your satisfaction. Go ahead, help yourself. "

The stork payed him no mind for a while after that, Chang Shuimian swallowed a dumpling, and took up a pair of chopsticks with which to start on the soup.

At first Badr tried to resist. He wasn't going to be the stork's pet. But the food got to him. His belly grumbled again, louder than both times before. To satisfy it Badr took half a dumpling. He bit into the pastry, and this time he did purr. It was the best thing he had ever tasted.

It tasted slightly salty, but that was just soya sauce. He tried to resist a second bite, but all it took was Chang Shuimian pushing the bowl of soup closer to him for his resistance to fail.

He didn't even bother with chopsticks.

* * *

 _Twenty five minutes later..._

* * *

Badr burped. It was loud, putrid and had bits of noodle flying around it. But he didn't care. He had never had a more filling meal. One bowl of soup wasn't enough, and neither was one bowl of dumplings. Over the course of twenty five minutes he had eaten three of each.

Chang was a bit more polite in his manners. He wiped at his beak with a napkin, before relaxing back onto the chair with a sigh of content. "Now I suppose you'll want to know a bit about me ?"

Badr didn't really care, but after that meal it would have been rude to refuse. "Go ahead."

"My name is Chang Shuimian, I gave myself this name. Since birth I have been a member of the Drops. I doubt you've heard of them, but to explain briefly we are a clan of collectors. But a very specific type of collectors. We collect something called chi. Are you familiar with that word ?"

"It's like the energy of the universe, isn't it ?"

"In brief, yes. But it is far more complex than that. Chi is specific to everything. Everyone has a different amount of chi, of different potencies. We collect members with odd levels of chi."

Badr gasped. "Is this what you want from me ? Because there is no way I'm going to be part of your collection !"

Chang laughed. "I don't force people to join. If I need to I terminate them, but what I really want is to spread the word of our movement."

"And you gave me a feast, because ? "

"Because your chi is particularly strong. And someone with your potential could do better than ending up on the streets. Here, take this."

Chang Shuimian removed a scroll from his bag, and handed it to the cat. Badr opened it cautiously. "What does it say ?"

"You can't read ?"

"N-no ! I'm just a little, short-sighted. That's all."

"It is an invitation, to join a tournament of all martial arts, with a one in a lifetime reward. Imagine that."

"And why exactly would I do that ? Martial arts and me don't have any history."

"Your chi says otherwise. I think you would do well. Besides what do you have to loose ?"

Badr's jaw set itself tightly. There was no way he was signing up to this thing !

* * *

 _Footnote: Aaaand that's just a sneak peak at my new story. It won't get another update until I finish Between Brothers though !  
_

 _Now to explain. Basically, when I wrote about what happened to Badr after the Five Tasks of the House of Tamod, I realized that I left his rivalry with Duyao more or less unexplained. Sure I wrote a bit about why they hate each other, but nothing really in-depth. The same goes for both their characters really, and with some things I have planned, that can't stand._

 _So behold my first real prequel. The original House of Tamod that takes place fifty years before the original one (so about fifty five years before the first Kung Fu Panda) !_

 _Now for an announcement you may have already seen._

 _My OC pool is BIG, a bit less than a hundred characters. So I have lots to choose from...right ?_

 _WRONG !_

 _This being a prequel I have barely any OCs that would be alive at the time of this story. So I'm allowing any author who wants to contribute a maximum of two OCs (but I'm a bit flexible). So come one, come all._

 _Now for the character notices. So far I've only used two, both of which are mine._

 _Badr means half-moon (I think) in Arabic. If you are a long time reader you will recognize him from Between Brothers and the original House of Tamod, as well as the Set Up and some upcoming fics._

 _Chang Shuimian means long sleep (which is a fancy way of saying death, but that's the name of a different character). If you are a long time reader you will recognize him from Between Brothers._

 _That's about it I think. So Enjoy and Update soon._


	2. Meet the Competition

Badr had waited three hours outside the old, derelict arena for something to happen. He had come with Chang Shuimian, who had left him by himself five minutes after arriving. Badr had then spent the majority of the time waiting for something to happen. Eventually people began arriving, but they treated Badr the same way he had been treated for most of his life.

All except for one child. "Zdrаvstvitе"! Badr jumped nearly a foot in the air at the deep voice that had whispered into his ear. The shout was followed up with a chuckle as the one that addressed him sat next to him on the ground.

Badr blinked, as if he couldn't comprehend what he was looking at. "Hello." He replied, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"So you're competing ?"

"Yes. I am. Why do you ask ?"

The person shrugged. "I'm just surprised to see another ditva here."

"Ditva ? What does that mean ?"

"Uh, young person."

Badr narrowed his eyes at the figure. He was taller than him by a little, and a lot stockier. His fur was a dark, earthy brown. He walked bare foot, and wore a thick pair of baggy blue pants. He also wore a thick plate of metal over his chest, which left his arms clear and free to move. He also wore a small round, red scarf around his neck. Across his back he carried an axe. The handle was long and made of wood. The blade itself was quite different. It was round, with a hole inside it. It was sharp and gleamed silver, with small needle-like spines attached along the blade.

"So, er, how do you fight ?"

"What do you mean ?"

"What do you do ? Just like kick and stuff ?"

"Are you asking me because you don't know how to fight, or because you want to know how I fight ?"

"The latter".

"The what ?"

"The last one you said."

"So you want to know how I fight ?"

"Yes !"

"Why should I tell you ?"

The wolverine looked like he had just received a slap to the face. "I thought we were friends."

"We just met !"

Han looked down at his feet, but Badr wasn't sure whether he was actually hurt or just pretending to be. "Okay, I see how it is." The wolverine turned away, leaving Badr very confused.

 _He thought we were friends, but didn't even bother to ask for my name. What an idiot_.

As if the wolverine had read his mine he suddenly turned around. "What's your name, by the way ?"

Badr blinked. "I'm Badr. And you are ?"

"My name is Han." The wolverine sat back next to him as if they were best friends. Badr turned away from him and scanned the lines of would-be competitors. Clearly _Han_ would not be much of a threat. But he was absolutely certain that right in front of him, in the masses of people there were plenty of threats.

Having eyes that could spot the smallest coin from a corner away was actually quite useful for once. For a while Badr sat next to Han, watching the colourful crowd before him. He saw a fox with ten tails, but when he blinked the vulpine had vanished. He spotted what looked like a cat, wearing red plates of armour and a mask of the same colour. He noticed Chang, speaking harshly to a tall lynx with one eye far larger than his other one.

"Let's play I spy with my little eye !" Han suddenly suggested. Badr got up and left without another word.

Han got up and followed after him like a stubborn little puppy. "I spy with my little eye, a rabbit in a skirt."

Said rabbit turned on his heels, a pissed look plastered on his face. But Badr would have been more intimidated if he didn't look like a child and wasn't half the cat's height. "Hey ! It's not a skirt it's a"-

He was cut off mid sentence when several other competitors cut him off with their own laughs, making him blush furiously.

Badr used the opportunity to slip through the crowd and away from Han. He turned around, satisfied to see that the wolverine was no longer behind him.

"I spy with my little eye a flat badger-" Said badger turned to the wolverine with a death glare. This time Badr was intimidated. She was a couple of heads taller than Badr and Han, and was about as well built as an Imperial Army General.

"What were you saying ?" She asked in a voice that was too clam for comfort.

"Er- I was just er-" Han was saved from getting the shit beaten out of him when a porcupine walked over to the badger, and held her paw in his won.

"What's wrong my dear ? Is anyone bothering you ?" He asked in a calculated tone that had traces of anger to it.

Luckily for Han the badger was merciful. "No, nothing's wrong."

The pair turned away, while Han breathed a small sigh of relief, wiping sweat off his brow. He looked aroun and realized that Badr had gone and abandoned him. "Bestie ?"

Badr signed the sheet of paper quickly. He wanted so badly to go home, away from Chang Shuimian and Han. He submitted the sheets in to some antelope dressed officially. He hadn't bothered to read them, after all there was no point. He couldn't read.

He turned to leave, but bumped into someone on his way out. He didn't bother saying sorry. The person grabbed him by the shoulder and made him look them right in the eye.

It was a frog, pretty as far as her species was concerned, but with something sinister looming around her. She handed him a coin. "You dropped this ?"

"Er- yes". She dropped the coin into his paw.

"Good luck !" She yelled after him as he walked away.

 _This is a freak show. What the hell did I sign up for ?_

He tripped over an outstretched foot and fell flat on his face, making the competitors around him turn and laugh. He turned hotly to the person who had stretched their leg.

"Now we're even." The rabbit replied.

Badr growled, and withdrew his claws, he was going to teach this midget a lesson if it was the last thing he did.

The rabbit grinned, and crouched low. "Oh, so you wanna fight then ? Let's see what you got, _kitty_ ".

Badr swung, the rabbit moved his face an inch to the side and the whole swing missed.

His claws however caught someone right on the crotch.

A great bluish-grey wolf suddenly yelped in pain, placing his paws over his manliness as he was brought to a sudden collapse.

Badr looked to his paw as if he had done something incredible. The rabbit looked less than impress. "Are we fighting or what ?"

He lost his smug look when the bluish grey wolf kicked him in the side, and sent him flying away. He rose, and glared at the cat, who shrunk under the lupine's shadow.

"Prepare for a lot of pain, _pussy_ !"

"Wow Alpha, I never knew you would stoop so low as to hit a kid. I always thought you were the honorable one." A large fox, about as tall as the wolf pushed Badr roughly away, and looked the wolf square in the eye.

"Kuufu." The wolf spat, as if the word itself tasted sour in his mouth.

The fox smirked and turned away, his tail tickling the tip of Alpha's nose. The wolf sneezed violently. "I'll see you in the arena."

Badr took the opportunity to slowly and calmly walk away.

This time he didn't trip or bump into anything.

Instead something, moving at incredible speeds, crashed into him, knocking him backwards, and sending his assailant sprawling on the ground next to him.

"Sorry man. Just went a little too fast." His 'assailant' was a cheetah, wearing a black sleeveless vest, with matching black pants. His muscles were clear on his black spotted gold coat. He wore an excited grin on his face as he helped Badr to his feet. "It's hard to manouever you know. I just couldn't get out the way in time. Sorry about that."

The cheetah then resumed his running and dashed off in another direction.

Badr's eyes widened as a few seconds later the feline stopped, at least a li away, and waved at him, as if what he had just done was perfectly and completely normal.

Badr was about to walk away again, when he was stopped by several claws digging into his back, and pulling him up to eye level. Apparently the wolf wasn't quite done with him.

"Hello again." He snarled, showing off clear, white teeth.

Badr gulped audibly. The wolf raised his other paw, ready to bring it crashing down on the feline's face, when something crahsed into the back of his legs.

"Don't touch my bestie !" Han shrieked, waking the wolf with the blunt side of his axe. Alpha was forced to let go, and turned his attention to Han, slashing him right across the chest. The wolverine's armour took the blow, and recieved not even a dent. Han looked quite smug, until the wolf's fist slammed into the side of his face. Han was sent reeling, as Alpha got up, even more pissed. He picked up Han as if the wolverine weighed nothing, and slammed him into the ground. His paw tightened around the wolverine's throat.

Suddenly Alpha was sent flying when an otter, clad in blue, knocked him back with a... ball of water ? Badr's eyes widened as she tenderly picked up Han, and slapped Alpha simultaneously. Almost motherly, she set Han on the ground, before turning to Alpha.

"Who do you think you are !? Threatening children ! Honestly, who made you ?"

Alpha was about to snap, but decided to save it for the tournament. He turned away, grumbling.

Han thanked her several hundred times in a language that Badr did not understand. Deciding that it was time he get home, Badr turned and left.

From the corner of his eye the wolverine spotted his friend leaving, and raced after him.

"Hey, bestie ! Don't leave me behind !" Badr grumbled, wanting nothing more than to leave him behind. But he had saved his tail a few minutes before.

"What do you want ?" Badr asked, trying to keep the annoyance off of his face, and out of his voice.

"Er- I was hoping I could stay at your place. I mean, you are a local."

Badr was about to say no, very firmly, but noted the pleading look in the wolverine's eyes. "Please ?" Badr hesitated, and then a moment later he was won over when Han pulled out a wad of coins. "I'll pay ?"

"What's your name again ?"

"Han. Just Han." Badr nodded and turned away. "Does this mean I can stay ?"

"Yes", Badr sighed.

"Oh my gosh. Thank you, thank you, thank you !" The wolverine chased after him, catching up with the cat after a short sprint. "So, er, what's your name ?"

 _What the hell did I sign up for ?_

* * *

 _Footnote: And in this chapter I tease all the OCs I have been given so far. I'm not going into full descriptions yet, but that's only because this chapter would have been soooooo long if I had done that. So have fun guessing who's who !  
_

 _As for Han, hmmm, a wolverine from a foreign country ? Who happens to get on people's nerves...I wonder could he be any relation to Han Guan ? No that's ridiculous. XD_

 _The OCs belong to a lot of people, but I will give full credit once I've introduced them all individually. Don't worry I will give credit...I always do...eventually._

 _Enjoy._


	3. Meet the Family

**A/N: Really there is no better way to spend your birthday than doing the things you love best. I love fanfiction ! XD Nothing much in this chapter, just a bit of filler. After the next chapter the tourney actually starts, so the action is coming soon !  
**

Badr's house was just as he had left it. It sat in the shadow of the arena, small and desolate, unimportant and irrelevant. It stood two storey's high, but how it managed that was a miracle, the building should have collapsed at least a hundred times over before. Han sniffed the air and coughed. Another disadvantage of living in a remote, uncared for part of town was that everyone thought it was perfectly fine to drop off your trash there. And trash wasn't even the worst smell.

Han, however, did not seem to be affected in the slightest. His nose didn't even twitch. Badr was quite surprised and a bit jealous that the wolverine was taking it so lightly, as if these conditions were utterly normal.

Badr's plan had been to sneak into the house as quick as possible, and hide Han under his makeshift bed or something. This plan was thrown out the window when the door opened in his face and Badr's dad stood before him, frowning at the cat that was his son.

Qadim Ajam was thin, and tall, with long gangling limbs that made him look somewhat spidery. He wore no shirt, and a pair of pants that were as old as he was. His eyes were light green, the same colour as emeralds in sunlight His frown changed to confusion when he spotted Han.

"Hi dad." Badr started.

"Hello son." His father responded, his eyebrows raising as his face resumed it's frown.

"Zdrаvstvitе !" Han greeted cheerfully, as if he had been invited to stay.

Both Badr and his dad blinked as the wolverine walked past the pair of cats, and entered the family home as if it were heaven. Badr promptly tried to sneak past his father, only to be caught by back of his neck, and pulled back around to face him. "Badr, who is he ?"

"Er-dad." Badr took a deep breath. "I entered a Martial Arts tournament, and he doesn't have a place to stay so I let him stay here. He's paying, and it's only until the tourney starts."

His father blinked. "You did what !? Badr, are you insane ? You're going to compete in the Five Tasks of the House of Tamod !"

"The what ?"

Badr watched as his father facepalmed, and dragged his paw across his face. "Son, you signed up for something you didn't even know about. Someone has died almost every single time this has come up. Why do you think there hasn't been a tourney in _decades_ !"

Badr decided to win his dad over the same way Chang Shuimian had won him over. "Dad, think about the prize. We could change houses, live somewhere else for a change ! Maybe have three meals a day !"

"Badr, your life is worth more than any prize-"

"You just think I can't do it !"

"N-no-"

"Just because I'm the youngest doesn't mean I'm incapable of achieving anything !"

"Son, you can't fight !"

"I don't have to ! I can just let everyone else fight each other, then knock them out when they're weak !"

"Badr-"

"Look dad, it's over and done with, okay ? Just trust me on this."

His father sighed and relented, and finally let Badr come into the house. "Fine. I just hope you know what you're doing."

Badr walked past him, and entered the familiar surroundings of his house. What was unfamiliar was the sight of Han, standing in the center of the room, getting looked over by the rest of Badr's siblings. He looked utterly ridiculous as he yelped every time someone poked his tail. The wolverine was surrounded from all corners. One cat was sniffing his head, gathering in the new scents, some of which he had never smelled before. Another of Badr's family was admiring his claws, which were as sheath-able as the cat's own. A pair poked at his armour, intrigued by how it seemed rock-solid.

Badr's dad entered and whistled, calling forth his kids, and letting them release the befuddled Han. They sat as was normal, cross-legged along the dusty floor. There had been twelve of them including Badr himself. Qadim had been blessed with ten sons and two daughters. Five of his sons had since moved away, and had more or less disappeared without a trace. Two had died long ago, when they had been mere kittens. Now he had five left. There was Badr, his youngest. There were two daughters. One was eighteen, and wore the dirty rags of a dress. Her name was Ai, her fur was light grey and plain, save for her ears, which were both pitch black. Another one was now twenty, she wore a pair of pants that had once been light green, but were so old that at that point they were practically colourless. She had pitch black fur just like Badr's, and was named after their mother, Xiao Bao. The oldest pair were both twenty one, they shared everything, the same birthday, the same plate, the same bed, but were as different from each other as was possible. They were called A'waan and Azaam respectively. A'waan wore an old cloack and a turban that covered his old, decayed ears, as well as the rest of his freakish body. Azaam in contrast only wore a pair of pants. There fur was both as black as night, but with streaks of silver across it. All of the family were twig thin and underfed, Han stuck out like a sore thumb with his gleaming armour, stocky build and well-trimmed fur.

Qadim started the meeting. "As you can see children, we have a guest. Badr will of course, explain to you all what's happening, since he knows better than me."

Badr got to his feet, and swapped places with his dad, who now sat cross-legged among his children. "Well, basically I entered a tournament-"

"Like a fighting one ?" Xiao Bao asked suddenly.

"Yeah." Badr scratched the back of his head, only now was he coming to terms with how ridiculous his idea actually was. "And Han here entered as well. He doesn't have a place to stay until the tournament starts, so I offered to let him stay with us." That wasn't strictly true. "And he offered to pay." That part was true. Badr took out the sack of coins Han had bribed him with earlier, and threw it to his dad.

Qadim caught it, startled by the weight. He spilled the coins along the floor, and nearly fainted. Gold coins fell out in a pile, with a few small red gems. Qadim gave Han a confused look.

"Where did you get all this ?" Azaam gasped excitedly.

Surprised at having been asked a question Han was taken aback. "Er- that stuff. Um-I"-

"Who cares where he got it !" A'waan scolded his twin. "See no evil. Speak no evil. Know no evil."

The children all nodded wisely. "Well then, I suppose he can stay." Qadim spoke calmly. "I'll show him around a bit. If by the time I come back you kids are still awake"-

He didn't have to say anything else as his children all got up quickly, and rushed up the stairs to their makeshift beds. Qadim chuckled lightly as he got to his feet. He looked Han over scrutinously. Finally he whispered into Han's ear.

"How exactly does one your age come to this kind of money ?"

Han gulped and looked to his feet. "I-I"-

"Please don't lie to me. I just want to know, you still have a place to stay."

Han sighed. "I figured I'd have to say this at some point", he grumbled. Then his tale began. "It all started when..."

* * *

 _Footnote: Badr's family, a very important part of this story. It was fun to play around with teh idea of a half-arab half-chinese family. Qadim means old in Arabic, the surname Ajam means foreigner. Ai means 'loveable' in Chinese. Xiao Bao means 'little gem' again in Mandarin. A'waan means helper and Azaam means greatest._

 _See what I did there ?*_

 _There are now two places left for OCs, because I got three OCs at the same time I've increased the to allow a bit more time for me to acquire the necessary numbers I decided to reveal Han's backstory a little early, because why not ?  
_

 _*Well in case you didn't I thought I was really clever because I gave all the boys arabic names, and all the girls chinese names._


	4. Baba Yaga

_The room was old. One chair was knocked over, another only had two legs. Aside from a large table squished into the corner the room was bare. Here and there odd little bits and bobs stuck out. A pair of needles, a ripped book, a moth infested piece of wood. Han walked on small feet, bare and uncovered, in the safety of his father's study. He had not been allowed inside until that day. That fateful day..._

 _Han_ _sucked diligently at his paw. He stared up in wonder at the masses of phials piled atop the table. They seemed to contain a kind of smoke inside them. Only this smoke was of so many colours. Most were a dull grey, but there were a few of bright greens and yellows and reds and purples and orange and turquoise and... Han blinked. It was too beautiful. He reached forwards and grabbed one phial. It looked like glass but felt so much heavier. He held a phial of crimson in one paw, his other one still in his mouth, getting sucked dry. Removing his paw he unscrewed the lid, and watched as the gas floated up into the air. He sniffed at it curiously. It smelt of nothing, but stung his nostrils._ _He sneezed. Suddenly the whole room made him feel uncomfortable. He shook his head. Whatever that stuff was it wasn't good. He sneezed again. His head spun. He felt dizzy._

 _"Mama !" His little voice cried as he fell onto his knees, a trickle of blood pouring from his nose._

 _"Mama !" He coughed up blood._

 _"Don't worry. I'm here." He looked up at a pair of bright green eyes. A snow leopard held out her paw towards him._

 _"Here. Take my hand."_ _Confused and suffering Han held out his paw._

 _"No ! Han don't touch her !" He heard his dad shout from the doorway, just as the tips of his paws skimmed the leopards'._ _Too late. "Thank you." She murmured, before dashing towards his father._

"That was the day my life came apart. That was the day I met Baba Yaga." Han shivered. Suddenly a gust of wind blew open the door, and put out the fire. Han squeaked, his claws unsheathing instinctively. Qadim closed the door, before putting a warm paw on Han's shoulder. Han jumped suddenly, but remembered where he was.

"Don't worry. Whatever she was, she can't get you now."

Han shivered. "You have no idea what she can do."

 _Han collapsed on his side. He was paralyzed. He watched in fascinated horror as the leopardess sliced the air with claws tipped with metal. She then kicked Han's father square in the chest. He crumpled. He reached a paw towards his son as a final goodbye. Then the leopard brought her foot crashing into the wolverine's skull. His head burst open. Han half-gagged, half-screamed._

 _The leopardess picked him up almost tenderly. She waved her paw, and all the room's multiple weird and wonderful objects flew towards her outstretched paw. Han felt as if he had been thrown into the air._

 _He found himself in the enchantress's grip, looking back at the house that had once been his home._

 _"Mama !" He shouted with all the strength he could muster._

 _Then the house erupted into huge, black flames._

 _"Mama ! Mama ! Mama !" He cried, his eyes streaming with tears. Then when he realised that there was no rescue he whimpered pitifully. "Mama"._

Qadim stared at Han with an expression of pity. The wolverine seemed close to breaking down, and that was years after that experience.

Han removed his vest of armour, revealing a furless torso. Several scars were built into his body. There was one particularly deep one where his heart was, so large that Qadim could see the wolverine's beating heart throb. The cat gagged reflexively.

"I know I'm not a pretty sight. But I never asked to be like this."

 _Han shrieked as the familiar sense of pain encompassed him. So much pain. Even though the metal claw only dug into his belly, his whole body screamed in agony. Every nerve on his body was burning._

 _"Where is it ?" She hissed, tearing at his skin, pulling at his flesh, letting his blood drip onto the cold, stone floor._

 _Even if Han knew the answer he wouldn't have been able to say it. The pain was too severe for him to do anything other than scream._

"Every day, for as long as I can remember, she would come. And every day, she would cut somewhere else. I got this", he showed his deep scar, his heart throbbing visibly under it. "When I asked for water."

Qadim raised a paw. "I've heard enough-"

Han looked like he hadn't heard him, and continued anyways. "But one day, it all changed."

 _"So. Have you got any answers for me ?" The leopardess asked, her paws on her hips, her eyebrows raised._

 _Han choked out his answer, through a parched throat and the fear of more pain. "I told you before. I have no idea what's going on."_

 _The leopardess sighed. "Not what I'm looking for." She stalked forwards as Han braced himself for the torture he knew was coming. He screwed his eyes tightly shut, to avoid making contact with those bright green eyes. The eyes of hell itself._

 _Suddenly there was shouting, the sound of combat. The clanging of sword on sword, the banging of a door. The she-devil looked annoyed more than anything. "Wait here. I'll be back soon." She turned and walked away.  
_

 _That was the last time Han saw her alive._

 _The door flew open with a crash, startling the leopardess. This was followed up by a meteor hammer which caught her square in the chest. She was winded, but not out of fight yet. She teleported forwards, grabbed the intruder by the head and smashed his face into the wall. Blood squirted everywhere. She turned back to Han. "Now that that rude interruption's over, why don't we get back to business ?"_

 _The blade of a katana popped out of her chest. Blood welled up around the wound, staining her clothes crimson. "I'm not that easy to kill." The intruder growled. He withdrew the katana and swung at the back of her neck._

 _Blood flew everywhere, as if she had been made of the stuff. Her head landed square at Han's feet, her green eyes somewhat less felt no pity. Only disgust. The intruder stalked forwards.  
_

 _He was well armored, with plates of that strange glass coating his suit of bronze. He swung once and Han's chains snapped, no longer a part of him._

 _The wolverine fell to his feet, batting aside the dead head of the looked up at his rescuer. He had a plain face, his brow furrowed. Putting aside the katana the lupine reached a paw towards Han. The wolverine shook his head, too scared to touch anything after what he'd been through.  
_

 _"Don't worry. I won't hurt you." The wolf lifted the young wolverine as if he weighed nothing, and put him softly to his feet. "Come. We're going home."_

"After that the Lin Kuei looked after me. I was never one of theirs, but they were nice enough, and let me join in their training sometimes. They let me keep an axe, but I didn't want to intrude on their business. So I left. My travels have lead me here."

Qadim nodded as Han sat down suddenly, replacing the plate to hide his scarred chest. Qadim grimaced as he remembered that the wolverine had yet to say how he had acquired the money. Still that experience was traumatic to say the least, and he wouldn't press on further, at least not yet. Han stifled a yawn.

"I guess I'm sleeping here." The wolverine said suddenly, as if he had never discussed anything as depressing as his life story to a near stranger. Qadim blinked.

"This room stinks of shit, how could you sleep here ?"

Han smiled knowingly. "Baba Yaga doesn't let me smell anything."

Qadim nodded."Fine. As long as you're comfortable."

Han lay back, and let sleep take him. For Qadim, it wasn't as easy. He sat down in the corner for a long time. If this was the kind of shit competitors went through to get into the tourney, then his son was hopelessly outclassed. He stared into space. He felt pity for Han, and was anxious for Badr. But he knew that for once he was powerless.

Meanwhile, outside in the starry night, another figure stared. But not at space, but at the window of the second floor, where he could see the Ajam's fast asleep. And one in particular. Badr. Chang Shuimian's beak twisted into a half smile. He couldn't wait for the tourney to start.

* * *

 _Footnote: Huh, 1.5k and I still haven't filled up all of Han's backstory. I like it. Next chapter is where the tournament begins, so I will announce that the OC gathering is over. I have twenty major competitors, that's five more than last time, damn I had no idea this fic would be this big. Still, unlike last time the competitors will be getting removed at more regular points. Next chapter is gonna be a BIG one, I have to get all the competitors introduced in detail, and set up the First Task. Aaaaan Between Brothers still needs to get finished up.  
_

 _First world problems ya know._

 _Anyways as for Han's backstory, well it's not really going to be expanded on here. Baba Yaga, the chi phials and the Lin Kuei are all for another fic, one thats stars three of my less known/more lame OCs. XD, so you have that to look forwards to. Enjoy._


	5. In the Arena

**A/N: I know I know. Long time no see, eh ? Well I wanted to update this sooner...but DAMN it's so long. I introduce all the characters in this chapter, well all of the competitors anyway. Aside from the garagantuan length I was also slow to update for a few other reasons. Firstly I fell in love with the stories of Candlestic and , and spent a lot of time binge-reading them. I also have a shit-tonne of homework which I am not doing (fanfcis are more important than my grade thank you very much) and then their's Between Brothers. It's just so annoying. I WANT TO END IT ! But I have learnt from past experiences. I should never rush a fanfic, otherwise it will fail. Between Brothers is one of my favorite's so far. So I will not ruin it, even for the sake of finishing the story. That said it is nearly done, and I look forwards to starting on Journey to Japan (how long have I been saying that for ? But I already have everything planned out for it. I just want to start already XD.) Anyways, for all my dear readers I have returned with the latest chapter. I warn you, it is a big one.**

Han spent a week with the Ajams. He was shy, awkward and gullible. But he fit right in among the mix and match of the cats. After all he was a wolverine, not a dog.

Qadim, however, kept an eye on Han. He himself was nothing dangerous to be sure, but he was _definitely_ involved in things that were. Qadim never brought up Han's past, probably because it seemed like something most people would be uncomfortable talking about. Still he felt something in the pit of his gut. Was it fear ? Was it anger, maybe ? He sighed, and learned to look out for Han, as he would for his children, with maybe only a little less care.

Badr spent the week learning from Han. Despite the fact that he was as slow and as weak as a snail he could take a beating, and held a fiery determination close to his heart. Badr admitted to himself, and only himself, that if he was to face Han in the tourney he wouldn't stand much of a chance.

At the end of the week Badr and Han made their way up to the arena, by themselves. Competitors had to arrive a couple of hours before the tourney started, to get prepped up on the rules.

If the arena had been packed before, Badr didn't know what words to use to describe it now. People were everywhere, showing off muscles, techniques, running from other opponents. Everything. But that wasn't the worst part. The sands were blisteringly hot, and he was going barefoot. The little grains seemed to snap their tiny jaws on his poor pads. Han seemed to not mind, as if he couldn't feel the heat. The sun itself only added to Badr's torment, and beat upon him like the whip of a slave master. The other competitors were similarly uncomfortable, but not overly so, seeing as most of them had something to cover their feet with.

Han and Badr made their way to the edge of the arena, where there were won borders between the stands, and the sand. Badr grimaced, wishing he could sit among the audience instead of burning his feet off. He relaxed a bit, and leaned against the wood, Han merely sat down, seemingly unaware of the fact that the sand was burning hot. Badr momentarily though of sitting on the wolverine, but realized the implications and decided against it. Han was weird enough as it was, and he didn't want the rest of the competition to think of him as weird.

Badr was lost in thoughts of his victory, when a voice, small and tender as a child's rung out and echoed around the arena. Standing on a pillar of light stood a fox. He had two claws on each paw and his feet. He wore a black rice hat on his head, along with a vest and matching pants of turqoise. He had ten tails. Each of which tipped in black. His eyes were light blue, like ice, and shone with confidence. "My name is Zora 'Black Tip' Pom-Poko and I am going to win this tourney !" He grinned from ear to ear at the scowls of his opponent.

"Hmm, you haven't hit puberty. What makes you think you can hit me ?" A voice challenged. Badr looked from the fox to the lynx that had just spoken. And decided that they were both freaks. The lynx had light grey fur, with a large tuft inbetween his ears. Both eyes were purple but one was far larger than the other. He wore a purple waits coat and a pair of pink pants, striped with purple.

In a second the fox was no longer on top of the pillar of light, but was standing next to the lynx. "Probably because you'll never see me coming." He dashed away, and stood next to Badr, his grin widening (if that was even possible).

"Ah, so you are the Pom-Poko reject ?" Another voice asked. Badr would have been surprised, but he had already known that this was going to be a freak show. The animal had mud-brown fur, with black patches on his arms and legs and a black facial mask. He wore a small skirt of leaves, and had two leaves sticking out of his nose and ears. His tail was light and puffy. He grinned at the fox. "Hello kitsune".

"Tanuki." The ten-tailed fox replied. "Hello Pulsar. Long time no see, eh ?"

"Yeah, not since the time I whooped your ass back at the academy."

Zora glared, the rest of the competitors smiled a bit, now seeing that their was someone to take care of the over-confident fox.

Chang Shuimian grimaced. "Surely it's not wise to boast. That gives away the surprise doesn't it ?"

The competitors looked at him for a brief moment. Before continuing. Zora and Pulsar were suddenly neck and neck.

"You used an illegal jutsu !"

"I won fair and square !"

"Did not !"

"Did too !"

They glared at each other, before crossing their arms and turning their backs to one another, huffing angrily.

Then to Badr's great regret Han stood up. "I will have anyone here, anytime, anywhere !" He boasted proudly.

Then another figure stalked towards them. The wolf had triangles of blue all over his light grey fur. His eyes were the colour of molten copper, and his teeth gleamed white. He wore a pair of blue pants and nothing else, revealing a tough well-built torso. His arms were built like hammers, thick and tough. He stared down at Han.

"So this time you're not gonna run away kid ?" The wolf grabbed the wolverine by the throat and lifted him into the air. He pulled back his fist, ready to swing, when someone small and brown clad in black pulled his pants down. A small ferret cackled evilly and raced a short distance away.

The wolf dropped Han, and pulled his pants up, before turning to chase after the ferret. The smaller mammal raced away from him, dodging his attacks nimbly. He was dressed in dark ninja-style clothes, and lived up to his outfit's expectations. The wolf nearly caught him in a pounce, but looked up upon finding he had caught nothing. He stared into the eyes, well eye, of a darker furred ferret in the same clothes. One of his eyes had been gouged out. The ferret glared at the wolf. "Do you have a problem with my twin ?"

The wolf snarled, and looked behind the dark furred ferret, where the lighter furred one was, currently poking his tongue out at the wolf. "No."

The sound of mocking laughter was heard and the wolf turned to face a fox that was as tall as him, but twice as wide. The fox had a belly that stretched forwards, with small piggy little eyes and red fur. "Alpha, I thought you knew better than to pick a fight with the Ferret Twins of the Kingswood ?"

The wolf glared at the fox. "What I do is of no concern of yours, _Kuufu_ !"

"Oh, but it is. I want you dead. And I want to kill you. No one will deprive me of that honor." The fox glared around warning the other opponents to stay away.

A porcupine in white fur with grey eyes spoke calmly. He wore nothing save for a pair of belts strapped over his torso, containing multiple phials and potions of multi-colored liquids. "If he's matched against me I don't think I'll go easy on him for your sake. And I doubt anyone else would."

Both canids turned to him, vicious snarls on their faces. "You better hope that you're not paired against me, _tiny_ !" The wolf growled.

The porcupine raised an unconcerned brow. "And you're going to do that are you ?"

The wolf pounced forwards, but was caught by the tail and pulled down to kiss the ground by a honey badger. The same person Han had called flat. She wore a pair of loose black pants and a white linen chest wrap. She was slightly stocky, with predominantly black fur save for a single stripe of white that started from the back of her head and went down her back. She glared down at the wolf, picking him up easily. "Is their a problem ?"

"No" The wolf grimaced, now the laughing stock of the whole tourney as the badger twisted his arm behind his back at an uncomfortable angle.

"Good", she said, throwing him to the ground again, before walking towards where the porcupine stood with an outstretched paw, which she took in her own.

"I'm sure Zhanzhi has taught you to be wary of herself. And me", the porcupine added, waddling away with his companion. "The name's Viccori by the way, and remember that."

The ferrets turned away from the scene. The lighter furred one babbling on. "You should have seen it Jian ! His boxers ahd little heart shapes on them I swear !"

"Qian, I told you not to attract attention. And you went and pulled someone's pants off !"

The ferret grinned. "You have to admit it was worth it !"

Jian relented. "It was entertaining."

While that was going on the competitors continued needlessly boasting. Badr watched one competitor, a brown horse with a white muzzle and belly, in a pair of black pants and dark grey vest push around a familiar looking rabbit. Then memory dawned upon him. The rabbit wore a purple vest and a skirt of black hay. Slung across his back was a net and a trident. He was about to swing back when they were separated by an otter with dark brown fur. She wore a blue vest that matched her eyes, along with a long blue skirt of the same colour.

"Stop fighting. Save your energy for the tournament. You'll need it with this bunch." She advised kindly. The rabbit didn't seem to care.

"I'm Lee, and I don't take any orders !" The rabbit yelled pouncing on the horse.

The horse called Tianqi blocked with a hoof, but before either could retaliate they were pulled apart by a strong looking cheetah with gold fur and black spots. This cheetah wore a vest that showed off his well-worked muscles, and a pair of loose black pants that made movement simple. He grinned from ear to ear and teased both struggling fighters.

"Now, now kids, let's not get hasty. Patience is a virtue for a reason."

Misty rolled her eyes. "You can chat Cat. Honestly I can't ever remember him being patient."

"You just haven't known me long enough" the cheetah joked, dropping both children to the ground to land on their feet. "Come on sweetie, try and keep up." He teased before picking up speed and leaving. The otter rolled her eyes and followed.

Badr was starting to get bored when a familiar looking frog walked over and leaned next to him. She wore a pair of red pants, and a dark green vest with an orange flower pinned to her chest. She smiled when she saw him, and pulled an apple out of thin air, before handing it to him. "Hungry ?" She asked.

Badr nodded, and took the apple gratefully. She gave another one to Han, who stood up at the mention of food.

"Aren't you guys a little young to be here ?" The frog asked. "I mean, there should be an age limit. Some of the people here are kids. No offence, but how old are you ?"

"Fourteen", Han said proudly. "Turning fifteen."

"Seventeen" Badr answered.

Duyao nodded. "The tanuki and kitsune are both twelve, the rabbit's fifteen, the horse if fourteen." She shook her head. "People could get hurt."

Badr didn't like her worry. "Well I guess they wouldn't have signed up if they hadn't been confident."

The frog nodded. "By the way, what are your names ?"

"I'm Han", the wolverine introduced from a mouthful of apple.

"Badr."

"I'm Duyao. Nice meeting you guys," She turned and walked off.

 _She seems nice._ Badr couldn't help thinking. Han noticed the way he looked and playfully punched him in the arm.

"She's pretty I'll give her that, but she's _way_ older than you."

"How would you know ?"

"Trust me, I know what Duyao's been through." The wolverine said knowingly.

Before Han could explain further another figure joined the arena. Black gi with white trims. Blue eyes with his white skunk lock hanging down over one. Pula was black and white all over, with a bored look plastered to his face. He looked uninterested at the competitors and slowly walked off to the other side of the arena, where he vaulted over the border and sat at the stands.

 _Well, he's an emo._ Badr couldn't help thinking.

Another competitor was sitting in the stands, but Badr had not seen them there before. They wore bright red and orange armor, with an odd sigil on their upper plate. they wore a pair of sandals with three long red claws added onto them. He also wore red bandages over his feet, and a pair of loose orange pants. He had on his shoulders three long spines that stemmd from his shoulder guards. He also had a pair of spikes on the plate attached to his shoulder guards. The fur on his arms and ears were as white as snow. He also wore a bright red helmet, with three metal spikes that looked like whiskers, where his whiskers should have been. Finally he also had a pair of spikes under those, pointing downwards.

"He looks sharp. Wouldn't want to fight him, would you ?" Han joked, but it was only half humorous. Badr didn't know how to fight, this being seemed to radiate confidence.

"Hmm, you could beat her", was what Badr said.

The last competitor arrived ten minutes later. She was a tall cheetah in a dark blue Cheongsam with gold flower patterns and a pair of black leggings. She carried a bow across her back, along with a quiver of arrows. Yue walked in, a calm, almost cold, calculated look on her face, as if she had planned her every step.

This time it was Badr's turn to tease Han. "I think you'd suit her."

The wolverine went red and tried to stammer an excuse. But it was too late, it had already been said. Badr had smelt it from a mile away. The wolverine had taken one look at the cheetah, and soon she was all he could look at.

Badr chuckled slightly, before stretching. He sat down on the blistering sand. _If everyone's here, why hasn't the tourney started ?_

* * *

 _Footnote: Yeah, why hasn't it started ? Looks around and realizes it's his fault. Yeah I didn't want to start this anyways.  
_

 _Now for the credit... a lot of credit. In no particular order._

 _Yue belongs to Mind Jack._

 _The Red Devil belongs to me._

 _Pula belongs to Bersekr88._

 _Duyao belongs to me._

 _Badr belongs to me._

 _Lee belongs to me._

 _Chang Shuimian belongs to me._

 _Mr. Wo belongs to me._

 _Han belongs to me._

 _Cat belongs to Alpha Cat 137._

 _Misty belongs to Alpha Cat 137._

 _Tianqi belongs to_ _kaijyngna._

 _Zhanzhi belongs to Mind Jack._

 _Viccori belongs to Mind Jack._

 _Jian and Qian belongs to Mind Jack and Berserker88. They are shared OCs, but knowing them as I do Jian belongs to Mind Jack and Qian belongs to Berserker88. I'm just guessing of course :)_

 _Zora belongs to me._

 _Pulsar belongs to VoreLover360._

 _Aplha belongs to VoreLover360._

 _Kuufu belongs to VoreLover360._

 _And that's it. That's my round up. Five more than last time... Don't worry, I will give all of the characters as much screen time as I can, and give them as much as they deserve/need. :) There is a lot I want to elaborate on here, and I won't be too surprised if this story takes me the whole year to finish properly (especially since I've increased my writing capacity).  
_

 _Right. I have the competitors, Badr's family, the yet to be released host, and the soon to be seen announcer. So next chapter the tournament starts, and we're on the road. Lot's to look forwards to, but I can't promise it will come soon. (I mean I still have Between Brothers to clean up).  
_

 _Keep Reading, and enjoy._


	6. Task One

**A/N: Okay guys, we're finally at the first task. Enjoy.**

Suddenly a gong sounded, and summoned the attention of the competitors. Standing besides two figures dressed in hooded robes of white was what Badr guessed was their host.

She was short and plump, and resembled a fat apple. She wore light grey sandals and petite gloves of the same colour. Her fur was bright yellow with small blue stripes everywhere. Her cheeks had been painted a bright red, and the fur in between her ears was especially long, she wore this in a tight bun. She wore a greyish blue dress with the House of Tamod's sigil stitched into it. The sigil itself was of a sword with no handle and three blades, in this case it was a bright red. Her eyes however, were her most defining feature. Light grey to the point of almost being white they appeared to look into someone's very soul.

She grinned at the competitors, showing off teeth that had clearly been polished. "Thank you all for coming. And so many of you as well." She snapped her fingers and instantly her followers travelled besides her as she walked around, looking at the bunch she had on her hands. Her smile widened at Zora, Viccori and Cat, but when she came to Badr she seemed to almost sneer at him. Badr was momentarily tempted to smash her nose in then and there, but Han had seen the look in his eye and had stepped in between them. The wolverine wore a grin and held out his paw.

"Zdravstive !" He said in his usual perky voice.

Mrs Tamod blinked once and turned around, leaving a slightly hurt Han to twiddle his fingers. "Yes, you will all do nicely. But unfortunately there can only be one victor." She grinned. " _Some_ of you will be leaving today." Badr had been expecting her to look at him when she said that, but she kept things subtle. "Others will be returning to the Palace of Tamod with me."

She grinned again. "Now let me explain the rules of the First Task to you all before I begin letting the audience in and we can get this show on the road. I'm sure you're all itching to go." She turned to them all. "Before any of you came here today I had some of my men hide several amulets within the sand. There are twenty of them. The first twenty to find and submit an amulet will proceed to the next round. Or as tradition makes me call it, Tasks." She grinned again. "If anyone is found starting now they will immediately be disqualified. Other than that this tournament has very little rules. No weapons, techniques, holds. etc are banned. I would recommend trying _not_ to kill anyone you may be fighting against, but if you did then neither you, nor the tourney staff may be charged. We have signed warrants from each and every single one of you. We will of course interrupt a fight if it looks like one of you is on the verge of death, but not before. We also can't be held accountable for loss of limb, or permanent, irreversible damage."

Then she grinned. "Anyways enough nonsense from me and let's get this show moving, am I right ?"

Badr wasn't surprised by her long speech. Some of the other competitors looked slightly apprehensive, but Badr had expected no less. For the past week his father had tried every trick in the book to talk Badr out of entering. Of course that hadn't worked.

Zora was among the more confident people, and grinned wickedly. Badr took one look at him and decided he wouldn't mind fighting the Kitsune, he was shorter, chubbier and younger. And he was overconfident.

Then he heard his name shouted behind him. "BADR !" He turned to see his sister Ai waving encouragingly to him. He watched as the rest of his family filed in, the first supporters to arrive. They all waved at him, making the other competitors grin from the cat's obvious embarrassment.

Alpha took the opportunity to enact some less than friendly revenge by punching the cat hard on the shoulder. "Aw, look guys, the widdle kiddie bwought his family along."

"At least he has a family !" Han retorted, instantly leaping to Badr's defense, his fist shaking in Alpha's face, livid with fury.

Alpha suddenly became very cold and swiped at Han. The wolverine ducked under the blow and retaliated by punching the wolf hard in the face.

Of course Qadim facepalmed at this, but the rest of Badr's family were incredibly supportive of Alpha's pain.

"Get him Han !" Azaam shouted.

"Hit him in the nuts !" A'waan encouraged.

"Make him feel pain !" Xiao Bao screeched.

Han followed A'waan's advice and kicked the wolf hard in the nuts. The lupine howled in pain and held his injured crotch. "Just wait till the tourney starts." He managed to groan out through the pain.

Badr forced a grin and gave his family a thumbs up, before he himself kicked Alpha where it hurt the most. The wolf was unable to reply through the pain and merely gritted his teeth.

After than Alpha got up and forcefully dragged himself away from the pair. Han held his paw up for Badr to high five, but the feline ignored it and moved away.

Soon the stands were beginning to fill up. Badr was sure he could see his whole village there, and more. Tourists had flocked in the dozens to watch this great trial of arms. He saw a whole gang wearing white cloaks and white masks with a red cross painted on. He saw a small, scarred, pug ugly bat watching with one eye, while his other was squeezed shut by the fat his wing compressed over it to stop his head going to sleep.

He saw an old, bearded komodo, holding a long staff, with a green gem fixed onto it.

Then suddenly a gong sounded, and the chatter of the competitors, and the crowds, died instantly. A large ox, wearing nothing but a pair of red pants, leaving his large, well built torso uncovered, a piece of one horn missing, then began speaking in a booming voice.

" **Laaaaaadies and gentlemen ! Welcome to the fiftieth House of Tamod ! Where dozens of China's best fighters are pitted against each other, but there can only be one winner. We shall now begin the First Task. Quite a boring one actually, but I'm sure you'll nevertheless be entertained, by your woooooonderful host ! Hei Zeeeeeei de Baaaaaahen ! Anyways, while I'm sure you'd all love to hear my glories, instead of these punchbags, I still have a job to do !"**

Badr could tell that neither he, nor the majority of the competitors would end up getting along with Hei Zei de Bahen.

 **"The First Task. Seeing as we have around fifty competitors we can't just jump right into the fighting, now can we ? Well I would've, but that would take too long. So instead, we're gonna cut up thirty competitors in one fell swoop. Hidden inside the arena itself are twenty little amulets...or something like that anyways. The first twenty to find their amulet and submit it will pass on to the next stage. Enough said, enough said. And with that, let the tournament BEGIN !"**

The sun glared into Badr's right eye, he blinked for one moment, and suddenly found that the sun was in his left eye.

 **" _What the fuck was that speed_ ! Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first competitor to move onto the next round. master Misty ! Oh my days, these guys will have a hard time keeping up with- _What the fuck_ ! We have our second competitor ! Master Cat zooming into second place with his amulet ! And, wait are they hugging ? Was this all planned ? A conspiracy maybe ?"**

It took Badr all the self control he had to not let his jaw drop down to his feet...that was impossible. The sun had been on his right, then on his left in the blink of an eye. Was it Misty who had done that ? Or Cat ?

 **"These other competitors are looking pretty lost, looks like they're thinking twice about competing against those two ! Some of them don't even look like they're doing anything !"**

Indeed Chang Shuimian, Pula and Duyao were leaning on the arena's border, looking like they didn't give a crap.

Lee and Han on the other paw...not so much. The wolverine was watching every competitor carefully, so that if any of them got their paws on an amulet he could attempt to grab it. Lee on the other paw, was digging a hole right in the center of the arena's sands.

 **"And we have our third amulet ! Found by Viccori the Alchemist !"**

Every eye in the arena turned to the porcupine.

 _Footnote: Shorter chapter this time, but with a cliffhanger to keep you waiting._


	7. Amulet Brawl

**A/N: I hope you remember what all the characters look like, because otherwise this fic will be very confusing indeed. In case you do need to reference someone's appearance I recommend looking back at the previous two chapters, where most of the descriptions exist. Still I hope this First Task gives you a small idea of how this fic is going to run.  
**

Alpha made the first move, and pounced towards the porcupine. The Crow wasn't worried in the slightest, dropping the gem, and placing his foot firmly over it. He never had to as Zhanshi tackled the wolf mid-air, and sent him spiraling into the sand.

Alpha steadied himself, and glared at the pair of them, the other competitors were a bit more reserved about open aggression towards them now. All except for Pulsar. The tanuki snapped his arm upwards, before bringing it down and sending forth several small, needle like splinters of wood towards Zhanshi.

Viccori sent each of them spiraling the wrong way with his ninjite. He then tossed the amulet to Zhanshi. It never reached her however, as a beam of purple light knocked it off of it's course.

couldn't help smiling at the looks of shock that came his way. He cracked his knuckles and waited for the next move, the amulet lying innocently in the sand, not even dented by the purple beam.

A luckless pig was the first to try and snatch it, making an army roll towards it, and picking it up, mid roll. He was shot in the head by a bolt of lightning.

Chang Shuimian walked leisurely over, daring his opponents to try and take it from him.

Viccori took the dare, and unslung his crossbow, shooting the bolt, not at the stork, but at the amulet, making it bounce against the wall, and bounce back, it connected with Lee's head, and knocked the rabbit out cold, making the bunny fall into the hole he had made, the amulet lying next to it.

Hei Zei de Bahen had nothing to say to that, and merely let his jaw hang open in shock, most of the arena was deathly quiet. Which was why all eyes turned to Zorori when the kitsune thrust his paw into the sand.

" _Yin Technique : Pillar of Light Jutsu !_ " Like it's name suggested, the technique made a pillar of pure, white, blinding light appear straight ahead of the kitsune, who stared at it, while the other competitors squinted in the direction of it.

The fox then began fiddling with his paws, reversing them, and making odd gestures with his claws. " _Yin Technique : Light Dash Justu !_ "

Suddenly, swirls of pure, bright light began circling the lower half of the ten-tailed fox. The competitors stared wide eyed, while Pulsar merely crossed his arms, clearly he had seen it all before.

Yue's eyes narrowed, she hadn't seen it before, but she knew enough to guess what he was doing. Putting an arrow to her bow she pulled back the string just as the kitsune dashed forwards. A small, blinding light passed through the pillar and back, Yue had released the arrow, but was not sure whether or not she had hit. Until the kitsune's yelp of pain reached her ears of course.

Standing next to Cat and Misty, with an amulet in paw and an arrow in his leg was the kitsune.

Badr's eyes widened again. He was fast, but had not been fast enough to avoid the arrow. The black cat looked up at Yue, she was a good shot, a really, really good shot. Then he heard something that made his heart skip a beat.

"Come on Badr ! You can do it ! Come on Badr ! You can do it !" The cat blinked, his whole family sans his dad were cheering him on...he couldn't let them down. At this Hei zei de Bahen ahd something to say.

 **"Looks like one of our competitors brought his whole clan along for the ride ! Come on Badr ! You can do it ! Come on Badr ! Show us what you got !"**

The cat turned away from his family in time to see Alpha's fist flying towards his face. Instead it connected with Kuufu's belly as the fox jumped in front of the blow, simultaneously slapping the blue and grey wolf right across the face.

Badr would have been more thankful, but the fox had also given the cat a face-full of his butt, and Hei Zei de Bahen had to pick on him of all people.

 **"And the little kitty's been rescued, and got a sexy ass in his face as well !"**

Most of the crowd, and the competitors stopped their cheering/ fighting to give the ox a look that read 'what the fuck'.

 **"Heh-heh...I...I blame the pheromones... Wow, would you look at that Han's found himself an amulet !"**

The wolverine looked up to see Tianqi standing in front of him. "Just give it to the one most likely to win this tournament." The horse said, implying himself.

Han glared. "And what makes you think I can't win !"

"Well, I learned from experience that the little mice should stay in the sewers, or get caught by the cats."

Han blinked. "You mean 'rats', not 'mice', right ?"

The horse looked aghast. "Don't you dare correct my proverbs !"

"I just did !"

"You'll pay !" Tianqi said, waving his fist.

"No, you will !" Han threw the amulet at the horse's face, and caught him square on the nose, the amulet bounced back and was caught by Viccori. The porcupine gave both teens a look, before tossing the amulet at Zhanshi, who caught it without fail this time and walked towards the Victors Area.

Noone stopped her, probably because of the metal gauntlets she wore, or the death glare Viccori gave anyone who looked in her direction.

 **"Okay, four amulets gone, and four competitors through, and yet everyone is still too scared to make a move."**

Badr really wished that the bovine would shut up, it would be easier to make a move without some idiot telling him to.

Then suddenly several things happened at once. Pulsar sprouted a giant tree in the center of the arena, right next to Lee's hole. Kuufu proceeded to climb this tree. Mr Wo sent a beam of purple flying out of his over-sized eye. Chang Shuimian put his wings on the ground, and sent light-blue lightning flying every which way.

One strand of lightning connected with the beam of purple light and mutated along with it, creating a minute explosion of purple light, which connected with Pulsar's tree, and set it on fire, much to the tanuki's shock, and Kuufu's who was too far up to risk jumping back down.

Chang's lightning had done two other things. It had seared straight through Alpha's pants, leaving the wolf in light blue underwear, but more importantly it had knocked some of the amulets out of the ground and into the air.

The competitors snatched for them. Jian leapt into the air and snatched one, before passing it to his twin, who caught it, before scurrying along the sands towards the finishing line. Jian then waited patiently, holding his paws forwards, only for an amulet to fall into them. He then scurried along between the feet of the fighting competitors, claiming the sixth spot.

All of that went unobserved as the larger animals all fought for their own ones. Han was smacked aside by the Red Rogue, the feline paused for a moment looking him over maliciously, before turning to race towards the finish line. He was tripped however, by the root of a flaming tree, which knocked him face first into the ground, his amulet flying high into the air, and into Pulsar's waiting paw.

 **"The Red Rogue is forced to kiss the ground-"**

Kuufu landed right on Pulsar, his butt crushing the smaller mammal into the sand, the tanuki's paw twitching, the amulet still in it's grasp. Kuufu snatched it, and tossed it into the air, before snapping his jaws shut over it.

 **"And Pulsar is forced to kiss the ass. What a way to go."**

This time Bahen's absurd comments had not been noted by the competitors, and only the crowd.

"Daddy," Ai asked, turning to her father.

"Yes ?" Qadim asked, his face frowning in disapproval at all the violence.

"Is that bull gay ?"

"...I think some things are best left unanswered."

Alpha's jaws snapped shut over Viccori's paw, just as the porcupine caught one of the falling amulets. The wolf was promptly smacked in the nose, hard enough to draw blood. The lupine howled in pain, and rolled onto his back, his paws clutching his bloody nose. Viccori promptly brought his foot down onto the wolf's belly, sending the wind flying out of him.

Kuufu got up, patting his belly, and strolling over the finish line. Viccori soon joined him, his arm somehow healing from the wolf's bite.

Pulsar rose to his feet shakily, only to be sent flying once again when Duyao threw a boar and a crocodile over at him. The frog then smashed her fist into the ground, the resulting shock wave knocked everyone off balance, and also knocked Pulsar's burning tree over, making it crash into the arena's grounds.

Badr saw a stray amulet lying near the root of the tree and raced towards it. His heart beat against his chest as the adrenaline coursed through him, if he could just get his paws on the amulet he was through.

Hei Zei de Bahen had other plans. **"Badr's going for an amulet, let's see can anyone stop him !"**

Badr was an inch away from it, when a throwing knife sent it spiraling into one of the arena walls, away from the black cat's grasp. Badr looked up to see the depressed-looking skunk flip over him and pick up the amulet, which was shot out of his paw by one of Yue's arrows.

The skunk turned just in time to avoid the next arrow, and retaliated with a throwing knife. Yue ducked slightly, and the knife sailed over her head, connecting hard with Han's chest armour. The metal wasn't even dented by the sudden attack, and the knife bounced off with no effect.

Han himself had almost gotten his paws on an amulet when Mr Wo sent a beam of purple flying towards him. The wolverine acted quickly, and pulled his head, and his arms down into the chest plate, making him look slightly like a tortoise. The beam of purple caught the chest plate, but failed to do anything to it, other than forcing Han to slide slowly backwards.

 _He's such an idiot. But he's your friend._ Badr raced towards Mr Wo, picking up Pula's throwing knife along the way, and stabbing it into the lynx's leg.

Mr Wo stopped shooting his beam, and instead cried out in pain, his blood slipping from the wound.

Qadim's eyes widened slightly, but the rest of his children began their chant again. "Come on Badr ! You can do it ! Come on Badr ! You can do it !"

Han popped his head and limbs back out of the chest plate, picked up his axe and raced towards Mr Wo, before swinging the blunt side of the axe into the lynx's face.

Duyao lifted the tree by the root, and twisted on her feet, swinging the whole trunk into a pile of her opponent's knocking them out cold and pinning them against the weight of the wood.

Cat sighed from the Victor's Area. "Not very impressive these lot, pay too much attention to beating people up rather than passing you know." He said in a mockery of maturity.

Misty rolled her eyes. "If you had had it your way, you'd still be out there."

Cat grinned. "You know me so well."

"Too well, actually."

Viccori snorted. "I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you cat. Just because they lack the ability to gather an amulet doesn't mean that they won't be a challenge. Personally I like my odds, but I wouldn't brag about them just yet."

Cat rolled his eyes. "At this rate we'll be the only ones left. And if that were so, I'd still fancy my chances."

Viccori grunted. "You'd be surprised." The porcupine mumbled.

Zhanshi watched as the kitsune tightened the bandaged his leg far too tightly. "If you squeeze any more you'll restrict your blood flow." She advised. "Take it off and do it lighter. The purpose of a bandage is to keep a wound clean, not make it disappear."

Zora blinked, and hastily undid his bandage. "Well, thanks for the advice I guess."

"You're welcome," she said, before turning her head back to watch the fighting.

Qian and Jian watched as Duyao smacked one bear straight across the face, knocking them down with ease.

"I'd be careful around her." Jian advised, his one good eye narrowing as the frog proceeded to smash her fist into the ground again, knocking everyone off balance.

"Hmm, I'd be more careful around him," Qian said, pointing a finger at Chang Shuimian. "The guys been standing still for a while now, he's clearly up to something."

"Good observation" Jian said almost grudgingly.

Kuufu burped. "I'd worry about when these lot finish. At this rate, we'll be here forever."


	8. The Brawl's Concusion

Pula sent a wave of knives flying towards Yue, the stout leopard didn't even flinch, and rhythmically sent each one flying off course with her arrows. However, the time it took for her to deflect them all Pula had managed to get in close, and swung at her head, a knife jammed inbetween his fingers. Yue bent away from the blow, retaliating by smacking the side of his face with her bow.

Mr Wo pulled the knife out of his leg, before sending a beam of purple flying towards Badr. The black cat's eyes widened, but the lynx's assault was brought to a halt when Han bit into the feline's other leg.

The lynx gritted his teeth and brought his fist down to punch the wolverine, but Badr caught the paw in both of his own. The cat's arms were shaking from the strength needed to stop the fist, Mr Wo casually kept pushing down harder, but had not anticipated Han's letting go of his leg. The wolverine got up, and from behind the lynx lifted his axe's handle so that it caught Mr Wo inbetween the legs.

The lynx gritted his teeth, his toes curling in pain. Pain was good, it allowed him to take more of it, so that the next time he was hit it would hurt less.

Han then elbowed the lynx's spine. Then again, he couldn't take that much pain yet.

Badr let go of the fist and punched the feline in the gut, just as Han's jaws shut over his butt. Mr Wo crumpled, and fell on his side, stunned at his minute defeat. He would get back up...soon.

Another amulet came into view as Duyao smacked a competitor into the sand, the resulting shock-wave unearthing the little gem. Chang Shuimian watched as Alpha darted forwards and tried to snatch it, before releasing a bolt of lightning at the wolf. Alpha stopped in his tracks just as the lightning cut the air he had been about to run through. Chang Shuimian strolled forwards and claimed the amulet, before looking over the wolf, his pants ripped almost to shreds.

"Cheap boxers." The stork scoffed, picking up the amulet and strolling towards the Victors's area.

Alpha charged forwards and swung, but was sent flying backwards by a bolt of lightning to the stomach.

 **"Chang Shuimian takes the ninth spot ! Eleven amulets left !"**

Just as Chang was about to step past the finishing line a small mole hill popped up in front of it, and digging his way out, with an amulet was Lee. The rabbit grinned from ear to ear.

 **"I take that back, Lee takes the ninth spot, leaving Chang with tenth !"**

Tianqi grimaced. Half of the positions were taken... at this rate there would be no place left for him. "They say to keep your eyes on the prize, might as well."

He brought his hooves together, and sent a gust of wind flying forwards, knocking the sand over, and unearthing the remaining ten amulets.

Most of the other competitors were preoccupied, save for Han and Badr, who dashed forwards. Badr took one, but Tianqi and Han both grabbed the same amulet at the same time.

The pair blinked, and looked each other in the eye.

"I saw it first !" Han yelled.

"I had it first !" Tianqi retorted.

This of course, brought all eyes back on them.

"You can have it." Tianqi responded, letting go of the amulet and picking up another as he raced for the finish line. Badr was already halfway there when he saw from the corner of his eye Alpha pouncing on Han.

He stopped for one moment, and in that moment was knocked off his feet by Mr Wo, who caught the amulet. "I'll be having that, thank you very much !" He said, otherwise doing nothing else to the black cat.

"Daddy ! That meanie just took Badr's amulet !" Ai shouted so loud half the arena could hear her.

The rest of Badr's family, save for Qadim himself, began an incredibly loud booing, which some of the other audience members picked up, including Hei Zei de Bahen.

 **"Booooooooooooooooooooooo ! Booooooooooooooooooooooooo ! Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo !"**

Mr Wo promptly threw his amulet so hard it caught the ox right in the head, knocking him out cold. The lynx then strolled over the finish line, looking incredibly smug.

"You know you need an amulet to pass, right ?" Viccori pointed out.

Mr Wo sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I'll go get-" The amulet then slammed into the back of his head. Mr Wo glared up at the audience, trying to figure out which one had thrown it at him.

"That's nice of them." Zhanshi muttered, Viccori revealing a tiny half smile at the joke.

Mr Wo merely huffed, and turned away from the pair. He would show them.

Meanwhile, Alpha had put Han's whole head in his jaws, and was rearing backwards, lifting the wolverine's whole, flailing body into the air, before taking a small gulp that brought Han down to his shoulders.

Before Alpha could proceed the Red Rogue had slid into his legs, and knocked him down to the ground, and forcing him to cough up Han, or else choke. The wolverine got to his feet dizzily, his head covered in slobber. If Hei Zei de Bahen had still been conscious he clearly would have had something to say.

The Red Rogue tossed an amulet at Han, before bringing an elbow down to meet Alpha's gut, knocking the wind out of the wolf.

Badr raced back, and grabbed another amulet. He got to his feet only to have Pula leap over him in a sprint for the finish the emo should never have been capable of. He was then spun to his side as Yue raced past, in her own sprint for the finish.

Han then walked past slowly, his head lolling from side to side, in his paw lay an amulet.

The Red Rogue picked up her own amulet, and walked over to the finish.

That left Duyao, Pulsar (who was still slightly dazed after being crushed by the falling Kuufu ), Badr, Alpha and two more competitors, the rest were lying around, either knocked out, or in too much pain to keep moving.

Duyao grabbed one croc and sent him flying face first into a gorilla's chest. The gorilla then picked up the crocodile, and threw him in the direction of Badr and Alpha. Alpha ducked, but the crocodile knocked Badr back into the wall.

The black cat clambered over the croc and pounced on an amulet, only to be kicked in the side by Alpha, who picked up the amulet, and swallowed it, just like Kuufu had.

"Done, now my victory is certain." He cracked his knuckles. "But before I go and claim my prize, I'd like to teach you a lesson." He pounced forwards, and swung... with a fist that had somehow become encrusted in the same material the amulets were made from.

Badr was sent flying backwards,k his jaw slack, one of his teeth missing. He tried to get to his feet, but could only cough up blood.

Badr's family collectively gasped, with Qadim's eyes widening in fear. Han turned to see what was happening just as Alpha was about to bring his fist down again.

Duyao caught the fist in her hand, not even flinching from the force, twisting on her heels she proceeded to throw the blue and grey wolf over the finish lines, where he landed face first into the walls.

The frog then lifted Badr's limp form and handed him an amulet, before taking one for herself.

"Are you okay ?" She asked tentatively.

Knowing that talking would only make his jaw hurt more, Badr gave her a thumbs up, before they walked over the finish lines together.

Hei Zei de Bahen rose to his feet groggily, shaking his head to clear away the confusion.

 **"What did I miss ? Wait, what ? Did everyone pass already ?"**

Pulsar finally got to his feet, and threw a single needle of wood towards the gorilla, catching the ape on the toe. The simian howled in pain as the tanuki picked up the last amulet.

 **"Okay, NOW everyone passed ! Thus ends the First Task, and our finalists AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE: Misty ! Cat ! Viccori ! Zhanshi ! Qian ! Jian ! Chang Shuimian ! Zora ! Mr Wo ! The Red Rogue ! Badr Tamod ! Han ! Lee ! Duyao ! Pula ! Yue ! Pulsar ! Alpha ! Kuufu ! AAAAAAAND Tianqi ! Ladies and gentlemen, join us next time for an even more action-packed show ! Goodbye from your host, HEEEEEEEEIIIIIII ZEEEEEEEEIIII DE BAAAAAAAAAH-"**

He promptly received eighteen amulets to his face, again, knocking him out cold. The competitors shared a look. One that showed grudging approval.

"Does that mean Badr's won, Daddy ?"

"Not yet Ai, not yet...It just means that he has less people to beat." _But not less dangerous people to beat._


	9. The Palace of Porcupines I

**A/N: I'm not back yet and I don't have the facilities to write long chapters, but I did have a lot of fun writing this. A bit of humour mixed with a few darker subjects. Enjoy. And of course I just had to end on 1300 words exactly.**

The House of Tamod stood like a marble porcupine crouched atop the mountain top. Badr's village was situated inside a small crack on the surface of the earth. On one end of the crack were the stairs that led up to the arena, which dwarfed the entire village and cast a shadow over Badr's home. On the other side of the crack were a set of stairs that led up to the Palace of Tamod. It was pure white, and seemed to reflect the power of the sun itself into the eye of the beholder. The palace itself was round and built like a semi-sphere. The spines were made of parapets of marble, with small studs of gold circling it, the porcupine's quills had quills of there own.

Badr watched as he was cast into the shadow of the Palace as he was escorted through the gates, cold, black and empty. He felt excitement pounding at his rib cage, his heart pumping almost violently with the force of a battering ram. And to think, the last time he'd look up at something it had been his old, rickety house. Now...

"It's almost orgasmic." Han muttered, to himself.

Badr gave him a look, before turning away. Han had helped him, but he was still weird.

The other competitors weren't as stunned, or at least kept it hidden.

Duyao, Zora, Pulsar, Misty and Tianqi all gave the Palace the 'I've seen better, sorry' look. Viccori, an actual porcupine, scowled, as if this building were a mockery to his species. Chang, Yue and Pula all showed little emotion, other than a pair of raised eyebrows from Pula. Cat's jaw practically fell to his feet, and Lee had fainted. Han looked like he was having an orgasm, his fingers twitching reflexively with his heart beat. The Red Rogue's face was still hidden by their mask, and their reaction remained as silent, and unknown as they were. Zhanshi gave it an appreciative blink, one that masked her surprise somewhat. Qian's jaw had literally fallen open, and had been pushed back into place by Jian. Kuufu nodded. Alpha blinked, before looking away, as if ashamed of his own simplicity in comparison. seemed nonchalant, but that appearance was thrown aside by the abrupt widening of his already larger than normal purple eye.

gazed at them all, before her face parted into a grin. "Impressive isn't it ? Well, so are most of you. Quite fitting that you reside within the historic Palace of the family of Tamod. Your luggage and what not has been brought up by your respective inns and such, and you will find them all laid out for you. The library is off limits for now. It would spoil the rest of the acts. You are each to share a room with one other, but I don't want any 'accidents', otherwise you are eligible to be charged in full by the Imperial Army, the warrants only count within the arena itself. The Hospital Wing is always available for when you inevitably get injured."

Zora grimaced, he had been the first injury of the tournament... it couldn't be the only one.

"The next task will consist of one on one duels, chosen randomly." She grinned. "I suggest you proceed with caution." With that she bowed, and waved them away dismissively, before turning and walking away. She had work to do.

The competitors all shared looks of unease (or death glares), before dispersing in their little groups. Badr would have liked to walk off on his own, but was followed by the doggedly stubborn Han. Badr sighed, he was getting used to this. Surprisingly he was also approached by Lee. The rabvit held out a paw, the look on his face was slightly embarrassed.

"We got off on the wrong foot." He mumbled.

Badr would have made some snide remark about how big rabbit feet were, when Han barged past him and held out his own paw.

"Just forget it ". The wolverine insisted, shaking the rabbits paw jubilantly. Badr gave the wolverine a look before grudgingly adding his own paw to the pile.

Lee grinned from ear to ear at their, or rather, Han's enthusiasm. "So where do you guys come from."

"I'm a local." Badr muttered.

"I'm from Russia, in some small village near Vladivostok."

"Never heard of that... Sounds fun. " Then the accursed bunny turned to Badr. "So you learned to fight here ?"

Badr opened and closed his mouth. "I don't need to tell you anything." He replied with a small growl and a pair of lowered eyebrows.

"Yeesh why so agro now man ? Where was all that rage in the arena ?"

It took Badr two seconds to realize he was being mocked. The cat swiped at the rabbit, but Lee was too quick and ducked with practiced ease.

"Don't start a fight you can't win. I got this far by skills. You were lucky. "

Badr growled and glared at the much smaller mammal who radiated his overconfidence with a smirk that screamed 'I dare you'.

Han came between them before Badr could embarass himself even further.

"Guys if you want fight save it for arena. Better there then here." He said this in a thicker accent and a voice that was somehow not his own.

"What happened to your voice ?" Lee asked incredulously.

Han went pink suddenly. "Er... Is just Baba Yaga... Don't worry."

"What the fuck is a baby aga ?" Badr asked.

For the first time since they had met Han snapped at him in anger . "I said don't worry." He said, half growling, his hackles rising.

Badr blinked. This was strange.

Then the bizzare wolverine slapped himself.

Lee looked at him incredulously. Badr facepalmed. This was embarrassing.

Han looked at them sheepishly before letting out a nervous chuckle. His heart was beating so fast it was hitting the metal of his plate armour. "Heh heh, just a little...er." Suddenly he grabbed at his crotch in an attempt at changing the subject. "Do you know where is bathroom ? I need pee-pee".

Lee blinked and pointed to the palace while Badr continued to dig his paw into his forehead. This was ridiculous. He would never forgive Han for this.

Han went pink again and walked in the direction Lee was pointing.

"You have a very strange friend."

"He's not my friend."

Lee gave him a look. "He's odd, but don't act like you're not. No combat training. Slum living. And you enter a fighting tournament." Lee narrowed his eyes. "You're either hiding something, or you're an idiot."

Badr snapped. "And what about you ! You dug your way forwards ! Just coz I can't afford the things you can doesn't mean I can't do it. I'll show you, you spoilt carefree son of a bitch ! Just coz your mums still alive to lick your ass-"

Lee punched him. And delivered several rapid kicks to the feline's gut.

"I'm not here to win." Lee said angrily. "I came here for one reason. Now I have two. I'm gonna whoop your skinny ass and make you kiss my mamas coffin." With that Lee turned away and left breathing heavily, tears welling up at the back of his eyes. Badr almost felt sorry for him, but he would never admit that.


	10. The Village at War with the Waves

Han ran into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He was breathing heavily and his heartbeat had gone way past what should have been normal. It pattered so hard in his chest he felt it beating against his plate or amour. He found a bucket of water and threw it over himself. He shook his head clear and took another deep breath, his heartbeat returning to normal. Then he slumped against the wall, exhausted. The day itself had been a long one, but nothing had drained Han more than the effort it took to control the beast within. It couldn't come out now, where everyone could see. They would find him quickly. They were already catching up. Han rubbed tired eyes. As long as he was still in the running he was safe, his disappearance would have been noticed easier. If he won, then he was safe. Probably forever. But that all depended on what exactly the prize was. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Not now. Later, when we're safe." With that he took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom. Then he bumped into the tall, slender figure of Chang Shuimian.

The stork locked eyes with him, and for a whole five minutes they stared each other in the eye. Then the stork chuckled, and walked away, leaving Han freaked out.

* * *

Lee kicked a pebble so hard it ricocheted off of a tree and bounced away. He was still scowling, and wiping away tears. Badr's insult still rung in his head. Sure the cat had had no idea he was hitting a nerve, but that was no excuse for being a jerk. And to think, Lee had been trying to be nice to him. The rabbit then picked up another pebble and threw it so hard it hit the same tree and bounced away, connecting with his forehead. Lee's scowl deepened and the force of the pebble hurt so much he started crying. He slumped to the ground and let his mind drift back into his world of memories.

 _The Village at War with the Sea:_

 _It was a scanty old town that stunk of fish, fish-bones, salt and the sea. It wasn't exactly the ideal place to raise children. In a couple of years the Imperial Army would probably burn it down. But for now it was home. From houses stuck out giant fishbones, or even whole, rotting heads, preserved in oil, of their greatest catch. They were fishermen, though food was the last reason they fought. It was a cycle of revenge the fishes had started. And Lee doubted it would ever stop._

 _The young rabbit hopped into his house. It had probably been a mansion once, but the third floor had crashed into the second and left only the first floor habitable. He could hear the familiar groans and moans coming from his parent's room. At first he had been scared by it. It had sounded like a monster of the underworld was in his house. But he had long since gone accustomed to it. By now he was old enough to know what they were doing. And it came as no surprise to him that they were working at baby making. He was their only child, and he was..._

 _He was the worst fisherman in the village- by a long-shot. He had been swallowed whole five times, fell off his boat more times then he could count, sunk his own raft within three minutes of setting off, made holes in his net bigger than cliffs, and carried a trident that was too short to pierce much beyond the surface. On top of that he could barely read, or write, and his arithmetic was sub-par. He was a good fighter, no doubt, but that was on land, the war at sea was different, what with the wind, the waves, and the rocking of the sea. He was irrelevant, and as such kinda sucked at being an heir. He heard his mother give a particularly loud moan, and realized that they should soon be done. When they were they would busy themselves with feeding him and themselves. Meal times were the only time he was really considered. His parents however were not bad people. Another moan of pleasure helped Lee learn that they were just preoccupied.  
_

 _Uh. Uh. Uh. Uh. It was repetitive. Uh. Uh. Uh. CRACK ! Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah !_

 _The sound of his mother screaming brought Lee to his senses, and he kicked open the door. What he saw made his blood freeze. It took him twenty seconds to take everything in._

 _His father was dead, with a stake of wood that had fallen from the roof, driven right through him and into his mother. She was still alive, for a scant five seconds, wherein her eyes widened and she reached out a paw to hold her son one last time. The light went out of her eyes just as his paw made contact with hers. And with a final, gruesome gurgle, she died. Lee's heart began racing into a panic. He clutched his chest, and willed himself into thinking, stupidly, that it had all been a dream and that he would soon awaken into his reality, where his mum and dad were fucking peacefully, and he was just waiting for food to be prepared._

 _Then he registered the frog. Standing on the roof, looking down on the scene. Lee would have called for help- his parents couldn't have just died like that- there had to be a way. Then Lee realized that she was grinning. He found his anger and threw his trident up at the culprit. The frog dodged easily, and leapt off the roof, landing casually on her feet- right next to the window. Lee pounced out of it, and threw his net at her, pinning her to the ground, in time for the rabbit to land a sucker punch to her face. Her head snapped backwards, but then her fist snapped back into his gut, and knocked the wind out of him with practiced ease. She removed the net with even greater ease, and as easily as if she was sitting down, she forced Lee to the ground, all while Lee was still trying to get his breath back._

 _She leaned in close. And for a second Lee thought his life was over. Instead she breathed one word, one cold, harsh word that made his blood shiver. "Justice."_

 _Lee tried to get up, but was smacked across the face, and forced to fall back onto the ground. The next time Lee stood up his parent's killer was gone. But he knew enough about her.  
_

 _That night Lee left the village, and the villagers never found out what became of him, or what had happened to his family._

Lee by now was sobbing so hard he was making a noise akin to a wounded elephant. A paw was placed on his shoulder, it felt soft, warm, and Lee could feel the tenderness of the touch. It was strangely comforting.

"There, there. Now what's the matter ?" He knew the voice, or at least had heard it before. It was Kuufu, the large, fat fox. Lee couldn't bring any words out of himself. He just felt the fox stroking his head, it was odd, strange, yet made him feel several worlds better.

* * *

Badr gazed at the list with painted disapproval. He would far rather sleep with his family, than sleep with Tian Qi, who even was Tian Qi ? This whole system was just plain stupid ! They were pairing people who were going to fight to the death, with each other. He'd have payed more attention to the list, but could not be asked to know who everyone else was sleeping with. He opened the door with the notice and walked down a beautiful marble hallway, with studs of gold embedded in the walls. One of them would be enough to pay for his whole family's food for several months. All of them were just plain too much.

He was then brought out of his thoughts by Hei Zei de Bahen's skinless corpse.

* * *

 _Footnote: A cliffhanger and Lee's backstory, I'm back bitches !  
_

 _Lee's backstory was fun to write, I especially like the idea of a war with the sea, I will need to expand on that... one day XD And I think we can figure out, through clever deduction, that the frog was ***** in the head man, like why would you do that ? But with Lee's backstory comes the warning that I'm treading into unknown territory. This story might progress to M later on, due to things like *coughVoreLovercough*, XD. But never fear, things won't get too M-ey over here, and if they do I will warn you appropriately._

 _And the cliffhanger. Who dun it ? XD_


	11. Primary Conflicts

The body was stripped of skin, and blood gushed from three wounds. One on his forehead, one on his throat and one on his gut. They were deep, and looked as if they were drilled in. They were done with surgical precision, in a straight line right down his middle. His eyes were wide and full of fear, but empty of life. One of his arms lay weakly on the door handle, as if he had been trying to flee, but the wounds didn't come from behind him ? Had the figure been in one of the rooms ? Had it been an attempt to kill one of the competitors ? Was the murderer still here ? He turned to flee, but ran into Duyao. The frog noted the look of fear in his eyes, before widening her own at the scene behind him.

"Did you..." She trailed off at the clear, child-like fear that seemed to come from all over him. Then she switched into action-mode. Silencing him with a look, she silently crept over to the body. She examined it with scrutiny, mentally noting down that the wounds looked like they came from a bow of some kind, shot in point blank range. The look of fear in his eyes indicated that what he had seen was frightening. But there were no signs of a struggle, and though the body was most likely tampered with, there was no fur, no feather, no murder weapon. She then stood up, noted the window on the other end of the corridor was still closed, before she made a sign for Badr to go back and get help. The cat turned tails and fled.

Duyao then got to work. "You can come out now." She called out loudly to the silence.

* * *

Badr had just turned the corner when he collided with someone. The pair fell over in a pile. Badr hastily got to his feet, apologising in his panic. He was about to set off when he noted the stranger he had bumped into.

All thoughts of murder fled from his head. She was beautiful. Her fur was dripping wet, and she smelled of lotus and roses. She was pale, thin and an albino. She wore nothing but a towel that covered her well, but left her feminine curves open to view. But then there were her eyes. Amber, shining amber. Badr felt something stirring in his pants, and blushed. The stranger was eyeing him oddly.

"Why are you in such a hurry ?" She half-asked, half-accused.

Realizing that the longer he stared the more aroused he would become Badr forced himself to walk away. Normally he would say something like 'none of your business' but for her he had no words to say. As soon as he turned the corner he remembered why he had come and set off at a run.

* * *

Zora's leg was stiff with bandages, and he half-limped, half-dragged himself through the maze of corridors to where the dormitories were. _The wound should be fine for the next round_. He assured himself. His nose caught a whiff of wolverine, and a second later Han came in, looking fearful, his eyes racing. The kitsune frowned. Then he felt his tails stiffen, and pounced on the wolverine.

A bolt sailed by and crashed into a vase, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Zora got up to see another bolt flying towards his head. An arrow sailed through the air behind him and sent the bolt flying off course. The figure at the end of the corridor was hidden beneath a large cloak, and turned to look behind the pair to find Yue looking at him with a blank expression, an arrow already loaded. The figure fired again, seemingly from his bare paw, and sent another bolt flying. This time Zora was ready, and tapped the same points on his arms and legs as he had in the arena.

 _"Yin Technique: Light Dash Jutsu !"_ Light enveloped his lower half, and sent him flying towards his opponent, the bolt missing him by an inch, while his fist collided with the figure's chest. The assassin was sent flying backwards, but Zora gave him no respite. He whipped out a ninjite and stabbed it into the cloak. Only to find that all he had hit was a cloak. He searched around him, longing for a sign of his opponent.

Yue ducked as a bolt came out from the wall itself, letting loose her arrow on the marble. A bolt hit Han on the breastplate, one that had seemingly come from the air. The wolverine seethed. The impact had been like getting punched in the gut. But his plate wasn't even dented in the slightest. Yue then calculated. The bolts were coming at them with speed, strength and accuracy. Their opponent was a good archer. And they were also coming from out of nowhere. She ruled out invisibility, she would have heard something by now. Teleportation was an option, but it would only work in this scenario if coupled with invisibility.

Another bolt flew towards her, but this one, she could tell, was meant to miss. Attached to it was a simple note. One that read 'See you later'. For stress relief purposes, she shot an arrow straight through the note.\

Zora came clattering back into the hall, holding the cloak. "Well... I got this ?"

* * *

Mrs Tamod walked in on Duyao just as the frog obliterated one of the doors.

"What on earth do you think you're doing !?"

Duyao payed her no attention whatsoever, before slamming another door open with ruthless efficiency.

"Don't worry !" The frog replied, slamming open the penultimate door. "I know what I'm doing."

Mrs Tamod only just registered Hei Zei de Bahen's corspe. " _WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON !?_ " She shrieked.

"Nothing I can't handle." Duyao obliterated the final door, sending shards of wood flying every-which way. She blinked in confusion when her eyes registered that there was no serial killer inside... Bahen's murderer had eluded her.

Mrs Tamod whirled Duyao around and stared the frog right in the eye. "Explain ! _Now_ !"

"I don't think an explanation is necessary." The frog said crossly. "Someone murdered the host, and got away with it. They must have walked right past us. Maybe they're invisi-"

"Mrs Tamod !" Zora came running in, his leg bandaged in a tonne of fabric. "There was an attempted..." His young eyes darted to Bahen's corpse. "...Murder." He trailed off. Then Han came in, eyes bulging, before turning to puke. Yue was quick enough to spot the danger signs and sidestep, before strolling in, her expression grim, her large longbow ready to shoot something, probably for more stress relief purposes. Han then turned round, looking dizzy and dopey. Then Saphire Tamod walked in, still wearing nothing but a towel.

"Mother ! This has gone fa-" She noticed the deceased bull and wisely walked away, deciding now was not the best time to complain to her mother.

"Explain ! Someone explain before I loose my head !" Mrs Tamod demanded.

Zora did all of the explaining. "WellIwaswalkingdownacorridorwhenIsawHanandthenIkindasensedanarrowcomingandhelpedhimavoidit, thenwehadtofightthisthingwhichshotcrossbowboltsoutofit'sarmsbutwecouldn'tseeit'sfaceIstillhaveit'scloakbutthereisn'tanyevidenceonthatsonothingIcanreallyusetoproveanythingwith,butIpromiseyoutherewasanattemptedmurderandforsomereason,can'treallyimaginewhy,someonewantedtokillHan."

Despite saying around two hundred words in the space of two seconds Zora was still full of his bubbly, energetic breath.

It was quite ironic that it was Mrs Tamod who looked like she was about to explode, and not the kitsune. " _YOU CALL THAT AN EXPLANATION ! I WILL RIP YOUR TAILS OFF ONE BY ONE IF YOU DON'T TELL ME THE TRUTH RIGHT NOW !_ "

Zora glared at the cat. "What do you think I just-"

He was silenced by Yue, who stood over him, and with a curt bow explained, more clearly and slowly than was possible for Zora to do. "A murder has just taken place. Han, Zora and I were unlucky enough to not catch the most likely perpetrator after they attacked us. The target was most likely not Hei Zei de Bahen, however, but that can't be ruled out at this point. I would suggest that you send a letter to the Imperial Army immediately, to make it clear that none of us were involved in the crime. Furthermore if the more likely scenario, that the target was not Hei Zei de Bahen, but rather one of the competitors, proves true, some measures should be made to keep the others safe."

"The others ? And what exactly are you doing ?" Duyao asked sceptically.

"I'm going hunting." Yue replied simply.

"You will do no such thing !" Mrs Tamod said clearly, making both Duyao and Yue look like they wanted to kill her, for a second anyways. "You must all stay under House Arrest until the Imperial Army can question you. Until that time as you have been proved innocent of this act, you will be made to share rooms-in the dungeons."

"The dungeons !" Zora and Han cried out in unison.

"Share !" Yue and Duyao shouted, with equal vigor.

Duyao tried to convince the cat otherwise. "You can't even think that we were responsible for this ! And even if one of the competitors were-"

"My decision is final. Unless you want to be disqualified early you will obey orders made directly by me. Do I make myself clear ?"

Before anyone could answer the rest of the competitors joined them en mass.

* * *

 _Footnote: Hey guys ! How's life ? Bit of action here, still favouring mystery though, and questions, don't even get me started on how many I've left unanswered here XD Feel free to make your guesses, it IS a who-dun-it after all.  
_

 _Enjoy_


	12. Suspicions, Suspicions I

Viccori snorted at the dead body, Pula shrugged his shoulders, Jian covered Qian's eyes, while Qian covered his twin's eye. Kuufu raised eyebrows at it, Lee turned a shade of green and was gone. Alpha did a little laugh, which was cut short when Chan Shuimian have him a look. Mr Who's purple eyes were widened, and gazing intently at the corpse. The Red Rogue was nowhere to be seen. Misty looked disgruntled, and made Tianqi look away. Cat seemed disgruntled, and was apparently trying to put two and two together. Pulsar looked between Yue and the dead body suspiciously, noting the arrow-like wounds. Yue caught him at it and silenced his thoughts with an icy Badr came in, panting. He spotted Saphire, still dripping and wrapped in a towel, blushed and disappeared into the crowd.

Mrs Tamod cleared her throat. "There has been a murder." She stated. She would have continued but was cut short by Alpha.

"I think we can bloody well see that ! Who did it !"

"Um, I don't know-how"-

"So you're telling me that there's a fucking killer running around ?!" He said, a note of panic in his voice.

"Yes." She said curtly.

Alpha seemed to blink, before looking warily around him.

Yue continued. "We have reason to believe a competitor was the intended target. I recommend you stay on your guard."

"So they tried to kill us ?" Viccori asked, mildly interested, his thoughts clearly somewhere else. He sounded incredibly okay with it all.

"Yes." Mrs Tamod said, her paws shaking.

"We fought the killer." Zora piped up. "They fight with a crossbow, they aim like a professional and they-" He tried to explain the unpredictability of the bolts, how they had come from nowhere, how they had managed to get out of the cloak without making a sound or-

"They can turn invisible and teleport." Han said. "His name is Silence. He's a-" He bit his lip hard and blood dropped off of it. His head felt like it was going to explode. The Curse still worked apparently.

"How do you know ?" Jian asked, not exactly unkindly but his tone was demanding.

"He was my fr- frie-" The pain hit him again, harder this time. "Forget it." He muttered, rubbing his head.

Alpha stepped up and grabbed Han by the throat. "Don't save his ass ! If it comes after me I want to know what it can do, _runt_ !"

He was sent flying away by a storm of lightning Chang Shuimian sent. "Your petty fur is the least of our concern. He turned to Mrs Tamod. "What do you want us to do ?"

The cat snatched at the small authority Chang Shuimian had given her. "Well you will all be placed under House Arrest by the Imperial Army. If a competitor was the target, then it's likely another competitor was behind the attack. This would place all of you under suspicion. None of you are to leave your rooms. I will escort you now." She snapped her claws, and walked away, leading the group.

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later..._

* * *

Han gulped when Mrs Tamod pointed out Viccori as his roommate. The porcupine didn't even seem to care and walked in first. The room was a dungeon, with heavy steel doors, and heavier walls that hadn't seen many people. There was a bunk bed in one corner, a table in the center, two chairs opposite each other, and in the corner a small lavatory.

Viccori noted it and gave the wolverine a look. "If you need to piss and they don't let you out you'd better hope you can control your bladder."

Han blinked. "Hi." He gulped, he was about to sit down on the bottom bunk when he decided the last thing he would want now was an angry alchemist. "So do you want the top bunk or... ?"

"Doesn't make much of a difference, does it ?" Viccori then pulled out a phial from one of his belts. "Sit." He ordered. Han sat down immediately. "Now, you tell me you know the killer ? But you can't speak about him directly. Tell me when you try do you feel any pain in the back of your head ?"

"Er, well it feels like my heads gonna explode so yeah."

Viccori nodded, more to himself than to anyone else. Then he handed the phial to Han. "When I give this to you you will have twenty seconds to tell me everything you know on Silence. Think about everything you want to tell me. Ignore the taste, think only about the assassin."

Han gulped. "Okay." Silence was a member of the Kingswood, he had been one of the many who had accepted Han into their ranks. He had been one of many who betrayed the Elder. He was one of the ones that had tried to sell him... He was a deadly foe... a killer. His face is brutally scarred. He's a leopard. "I'm ready."

"Right. Twenty seconds, remember, after that shut your mouth. If his magic is strong enough your head will explode." Viccori reminded critically.

Han uncorked the phial with shaking paws, and downed the whole thing. Then he forgot everything he thought of. Seconds were passing. "He's a member of the Kingswood Brotherhood, he was their sniper, he's a trained killer, he created the Ghost Bolt Technique, he's deadly and he's after-" His head burned wildly, and Han clutched onto it, whimpering. Viccori whipped out another phial, and dunked it into the wolverine's mouth. Han felt the pain leave him, and a sudden rush of energy burst through his body.

He slumped against the wall, panting, the pain in his head now non-existent. "Thanks."

Viccori ignored him, and was furiously making notes upon notes of things he would surely research extensively. He then looked at Han. "I prefer to do my research in peace, if anyone hears about this I will be the first to know, do you understand me ?"

Han gulped. "Perfectly."

Viccori also added. "You are the target, am I right ?"

Han froze and blinked and gulped all at once. "Er-yes."

Viccori narrowed his eyes at the young mammal, practically cowering from him. "What exactly do they want you for ?"

Han blinked. "They just want to finish the job I guess." Then a sudden wave of inspiration hit Han. "If I leave-"

"Then you will be hunted and killed. You're safer here kid, and I might need you for some more information. Besides," and at this point Viccori practically grinned. "If anyone comes after you now, you have me, don't you ?"

Han blinked. He didn't know what to be more scared of, the porcupine and his potions or Silence and his bolts. Still he was genuinely comforted by the fact that Viccori, for his own reasons of course, had offered to protect him. "I guess I do." But Viccori wasn't even listening.

* * *

Lee was glad he had Kuufu as his roommate. The fox was someone he knew, almost slightly, and had been nice and comforted him. But the fox was also incredibly weird. The first thing he had done was jump onto the bottom bunk and knock it off it's posts. The second thing he had done was plunge his paw down his pants and began rubbing at his crotch, grunting occasionally.

Lee blinked at the show, before shrugging and climbing onto the second bunk. Some people were weird, he just had to accept that, so long as the fox kept him uninvolved in _that_ aspect they would get along nicely. Lee decided that he liked conversation better than silence and began talking. "So who do you think the perp is ?" He began.

He started it a few seconds too early as a low, pleasured moan, coupled with a sigh of content made it clear that Kuufu's fapping had come to an end.

He had to repeat the question just to get the fox's attention. Then Kuufu actually returned the conversation. "Hmmm, I'd say the guy in the red armour. He didn't show up in the end did he ? Still missing you know, quite suspicious."

Lee seemed to consider this. "Han was acting odd as well, before it happened."

"That kid's an oddball sure, but that doesn't mean he went and committed murder."

"Maybe he did it by accident. And Zora and Yue helped him cover it up."

"I find that hard to believe. The kitsune's a kid, like an actual kid and Yue doesn't seem the killer type.

"Maybe Duyao did it."

"Hmm, she is the killer type, but I doubt she'd do something like that for no reason. We need to find the motives for killing Hei Zei de Bahen.

"He was annoying."

"Is that a good reason to murder ?"

"And killers always have good reasons ?"

"Touche, but I think that he wasn't the intended victim."

"Well they took his skin and everything, if he wasn't the target why would they go and do that ?"

"Fair point. So you're saying they meant to kill him ?"

"Well it seems stupid not to." Lee muttered. "I mean if they're going to strip his skin and all."

"You're very clever ? But again, what reason is there to hire the Silence to do their dirty work ?"

Lee sighed. "Well maybe the other hitmen were more expensive." Lee realized that he had no idea what he was thinking.

* * *

 _Footnote: Aaaaaand there we go. The next 2-4 chapters should be full of these little roommate scenes. So far we have Viccori using Han to start his own private investigation and Lee and Kuufu talking over their ideas. Join us next time to learn more about our contestants, and attempt to narrow down our list of suspects. I am equally interested to know who you think was responsible XD  
_

 _Also yeah, the rating has finally changed to M. It was going to happen sooner or later, what with the gore, and coughVoreLovercough. Still I hope things don't get too weird for you._


	13. Suspicions, Suspicions II

Yue's mind was filled with things. Between the murderer, the murder and everyone else's behavior to it... If Han was to be trusted then they were dealing with an assassin she knew by name only, but was Han to be trusted ? Anyone could lie as well as the next guy, and Han wasn't above suspicion himself. He was a child, sure, but innocence only stops so much from happening. Or what if the Han she was seeing, wasn't the Han she had watched in the arena ? Could the Silence perhaps possess the power of mental penetration ?

The room was plane, but she preferred it that way. The simplicity appealed to her. However Mrs Tamod had also acted strangely. She had refused both her and Duyao from investigating, and had locked up all the competitors. Why ? Was it to hide something ? Hei Zei de Bahen's look of terror was also something to note. Whatever had killed him had been scary, there was nothing particularly scary about a man in a cloak. She also noted that the Red Rogue had disappeared upon arrival at the Palace.

Then there was Alpha, he was loud, brash and temperamental, but... that could all be an act, people often liked to pretend to be something they weren't. Mr Wo, Chang Shuimian, Duyao, Pula, Zhanshi, Jian, Qian all of them were just as suspicious, even more so because they didn't stand out as much. But the way Chang Shuimian had attacked Alpha... It was pointless, unless he had reason to protect Han, but why would he be afraid of Alpha interrogating Han, unless he was worried Han was going to crack.

Noone was above suspicion, but she could hold less against some. Pulsar had looked accusingly at her, surely if he was going to pin blame that removed him from it ? But he could still be lying.

It was only after a long episode of thought that Yue noted her roommate. Pula was lying on the bottom bunk, frowning up at the top bunk and looking bored. He didn't seem to notice that Yue was watching. He seemed unlikely to have done it. For one she doubted he had the killer instinct necessary to kill someone. Another was that Hei Zei de Bahen hadn't insulted him much in the arena, so he had no reason to want the Ox dead... but he could be after something. Either way there might be something he knew.

"Hello." She said curtly, and politely. It wasn't the best conversation starter, but she wasn't too good with those.

Pula glanced at her, looking bored, and didn't even bother to reply. Her eyebrows lowered, before she tried once again in the same polite, strained voice.

"Hello." He gave her another bored look before turning back to stare at the top bunk.

"I said _hello_ !" She finally snapped, though she still held her temper, if she hadn't at least one arrow would have gone flying.

Pula looked at her for a longer period of time, the same blank/bored expression on his face. "Okay." He finally said dully.

It took every inch of self-control for Yue to not smack him silly on the spot. "And you are ?" She choked out through gritted teeth.

"Pula." He replied simply.

"Is that all you _have_ to _say_ ! Someone died like two minutes ago and you're _bored of all things_ !"

"A lot of things bore me." He said simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

Yue took a deep breath. Maybe cutting right through to the chase was a good idea. "Who do you think killed Hei Zei de Bahen ?"

He looked mildly interested for a fraction of a second before shrugging his shoulders. "I don't care."

"Do you care about anything ?" She asked through gritted teeth, again trying to keep her temper in check.

He looked like he was considering this for a fraction of a milisecond. "No."

She took a deep breath, grabbed him by the collar. "Well I do care, and if I find anything bad related to you I will pummel you to a pulp, do you understand ?"

"Clearly." He replied, bored already, her threats not having any impact on him.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before throwing him across the room. "And I always get the bottom bunk." She finished.

* * *

Chang Shuimian watched the grey and blue wolf complain. Alpha was arguably the biggest idiot the stork had ever seen. He had gone up to a frightened pup and threatened him for no good reason other than knowing a small amount of information regarding the assassin. He had been frightened before, and was now complaining about being made to sleep in one of the safest places in the Palace. His logic must have gotten lost.

The stork entered the cell without complaint, and Alpha came in after howling in rage and slamming the steel door shut. "I am going to rip that son of a-" His language was obscene-" Limb from limb and stuff his face down a-" He was being ridiculous. "And then I'll"- And he was just plain stupid.

"You won't do anything." Chang Shuimian commented on his ramblings.

Alpha glared. "And who says I won't ?"

"Chang Shuimian of the Drops."

Alpha bowed mockingly. "Well then I definitely won't." He then cut the act. "Nothing you do can or will stop me from getting to the bottom of this ! I will find the killer and I will rip them limb from limb. Sleeping in a dungeon ! If this place wasn't made out of bullshit I would absolutely-"

"On the contrary. With a mere flick of my wing I can have you bleeding to death, or would you prefer a quick sudden explosion of your head ?" The stork threatened.

Alpha glared, but remained silent. He sat down on the bottom bunk, and left Chang Shuimian to his own thoughts. The stork knew perfectly well who they were dealing with. The Drops and the Kingswood had often clashed throughout history. Though if it was the Silence here Chang Shuimian had perhaps bit off more than he could chew. Neither he nor Mr Wo had the reputation of the assassin, and the Kingswood never acted alone. They were after the wolverine, and Chang already knew why. Kang Aru had come back... It had almost been three centuries since it's last sighting, and suddenly it resurfaced. And with it a war with the Kingswood. Though they if rumours were to be trusted they weren't at the height of their power. The Elder was dead, at least half must have been killed in the typical bloody battle for the top rank. If so then recruitment should go smoothly.


	14. FOOD FIGHT !

**A/N: Another cliffhanger and short-ish chapter, though this one leans more heavily on comedy.**

"I'm so _bored_ !" Zora exclaimed into the silence.

"I know right !" Qian shot back.

The prison wasn't designed for comfort- let alone pleasure. As a result the pair were incredibly and utterly bored.

"What am I meant to do in a cell ? I'd rather be kicking assassin ass-" Qian continued ranting.

"I know right !" Zora shot back. "If there was food it would be different though."

Qian was about to say 'I know right', but cocked his head to the side. "I don't see how food would make much of a difference."

"We could be having a food fight, duh !" Zora explained, as if that was the most obvious thing people did with food.

"Oh, that makes sense !" Qian exclaimed.

Mrs Tamod could not have made a better decision about pairing the pair together. They both enjoyed pranks, were childish beyond their years and were entirely and completely bored.

Zora sighed. "I bet there's food in the kitchens."

"I heard that that's where food is cooked, yeah." Qian replied, deadpan.

"Let's check it out !"

"Okay, sneaking out shouldn't be too hard, I mean they didn't even lock the door, but if we're caught we might get disqualified."

"Hmm, simple then. Allow me." Suddenly the kitsune started making several signs with his paws in rapid succession, so fast Qian couldn't even hope to keep up with them.

 _"Duplication Jutsu !"_ There was a puff of smoke and suddenly two more Zora's stood next to each other. "Hmm, that won't be good enough. _Lightshifting Jutsu !_ " One of the Zora's disappeared in a puff of smoke, and in it's place was left another, identical copy of Qian.

"Woah ! But we just met !" Qian exclaimed, stunned by the quality.

Zora shrugged. "It's too easy. Now let's go."

And with that the pair left, leaving the clones behind.

* * *

Duyao found herself staring at the gouged out eye of her roommate. Jian had clearly been through a lot... but then again she had as well. She lay on the bottom bunk and went to sleep. Or pretended to.

The rabbit child had followed her here... he was a good son, but his father had gotten what he deserved- she hadn't expected to catch him with his pants down, or bring pain down upon the whole family. That had been the end of her quest... or so she had thought.

Once upon a time, a lifetime before the tournament Duyao had been amazing. She was the adopted daughter of the village's well-respected medic. She had had looks, charm and a good reputation. She was the most beautiful one in the village by far. But that had ended up costing her.

Maybe it had been alchohol, maybe it was just a bunch of stupid, horny kids, but she had been raped. They stole her maidenhood, and ruined her life. Not wanting to face justice her tormentors had dumped her into the river... they hadn't counted on her surviving. Duyao had been found and rescued by Mr Wo, who had brought the teenage frog to the Temple of the Drops. The place had been full of bullshit, prophecies, magic and what not ? But they had given her a home... and power. Over eight years she had travelled across the world, taking back her maidenhead and butchering those that had killed her and ruined her life. She became a monster...

But she wasn't one anymore. She had changed. She had come here to build a new life, and had put her past behind her- but at the same time her past would never leave her. Mr Wo was here, as was his latest lackey, Chang Shuimian. There had been a murder, and much to her shock Duyao had found herself seeking out the killer. I can't change what I am, can I ? Well, there's no fun if I don't try.

* * *

The one thing between Zora and Qian and a mountain of food was a gorilla. A fat, short, round gorilla arranging them into trays.

"He's taking the food away !" Zora exclaimed.

"Damn ! I left my darts back in the room !" Qian grumbled.

Zora sighed. "I guess we're going to have to do this my way !"

Qian stared as the kitsune once again repeated the process of making paw signs so fast he couldn't understand them. Then the kitsune grinned. _"Sexy Technique ! Girl Jutsu !"_

All the gorilla heard was an exclamation, and then turned to a beautiful vixen. She was nude, and gorgeously curved. She winked at him and blew him a heart. His jaw dropped, then _he_ did when he felt a frying pan crash into the back of his head. He landed on his torso, his face looking dumb and dopey, his tongue hanging out on end.

Zora resumed his normal form. "Good thinking Qian ! I have no idea what I'd have done if this brute had wanted a hug !"

"The pleasure's mine. Look at his face, the poor love-struck bastard."

Zora cackled. "And now for the main event."

The two shared a look before turning back to the trays of food. _"FOOD FIGHT !"_

* * *

Jian couldn't help feeling slightly worried for his brother. The kitsune was a child, true and most likely couldn't do anything to his brother even if he tried... but if there was a skilled and dangerous assassin running around then there could be trouble. Moreover Qian would sooner or later leave the confines of his cell. Jian hoped it was later- but knew with almost complete certainty that it would happen the first time Qian got the chance.

Still, his brother was capable of looking after himself. Jian had to keep reminding himself that Qian was no longer a little kid. Immature, yes, a kid, absolutely not. He had seen and done things beyond his age. He was grown up... but he was still the younger brother, and try as he might Jian would never stop worrying about him. He got off his bed and decided to go and check on his little bro.

Duyao watched him tip-toe out. _Gotcha !_

* * *

Zora and Qian lay on the verge of unconsciousness. The kitchen was a mess, and they were too.

Qian looked like he was made of noodles, he was dripping wet, with the substance spilled and curled all over him. He was drenched in hot sauce, and was lying in a cup of tea.

Zora was not faring much better either. His mouth was stuffed with a massive dumpling. His head was covered under an upturned bowl, with the noodles spilling out over the side, giving him the appearance of having long, blonde, braided hair.

The gorilla got slowly to his feet and turned around. He was about to start shouting when a scaled hand covered his mouth and an axe split his head in two.

* * *

 _Footnote: Didn't see that coming now did you ? And Qian and Zora appear all out of fight... should be quite interesting, don't you think ?  
_


	15. To the Rescue ?

**A/N: And BitDtT is back into the swing of things... after I left you on a cliffhanger let's see how the competitors are doing. And yes, it took fourteen words to get this to 1.5K. Typical me.  
**

The targets lay completely unprepared, and so far apparently hadn't noticed him, or the dead gorilla.

He was a large skunk. Positively gigantic, at least as big as the gorilla and twice as wide. He wore a humongous cloak of black, with golden crowns embroided onto the silk. He carried a huge, now bloody battle axe, which dripped blood onto the ground. He walked slowly forwards, so that he was now towering above the limp form of a stuffed kitsune.

"Heh, sayonaro sucker !" He brought the axe down, before any more beheading could be done the axe got stuck on the fat dumpling lying in Zora's mouth. The force of the impact brought Zora back to his senses, where his eyes widened at the attempted assassination.

He would have said some bodacious sentence, but the dumpling also prevented him from making out words. So the skunk did all the talking. "What the hell... I can't get it out." The skunk tugged at the axe, but neither it nor the dumpling came loose.

He was then sent flying backwards. Now standing over Zora was Cat.

The cheetah was brimming with confidence, stance at the ready. The skunk skidded to a halt on the floor, before looking up at his new challenger.

By now Qian had also gotten up. "What the hell !? How did you know we were here ?" The ferret was grateful, but clearly suspicious as well.

"My Eye of Amethyst allows me to see through walls, at a distance of up to three li." Mr Wo strolled in, his massive purple eye fixed on the skunk. "I admit I was suspicious of the pair of you the second you left the safety of the dungeons... but I suppose I can be forgiven considering I just saved your lives."

By now Zora had gotten the dumpling loose, and pulled it and the axe out of his mouth. "You're forgiven. Now let's take this guy out and force him to tell us everything !"

"I think you'll find it's harder to kill me then you think. I'm not a killer for nothing you know. Just ask the gorilla."

All eyes turned to the ape, lying headless and lifeless on the ground.

Mr Wo grinned. "The gorilla is a fake. The blood is beetroot, and the ape is an explosive."

The skunk looked like he had been slapped across the face. "That's bullshit !"

"No it's not. Allow me to demonstrate." A beam of purple light flashed out of the lynx's purple eye and hit the ape's limp body. It combusted violently, and sent wooden splinters flying everywhere, and leaving a small fire in the center of the room. "There now as you can see-" A small dart hit him on the neck, and a second later Mr Wo had collapsed.

"You should spend more time fighting and less time talking. Good job Silence !" The assassin was tall and slender, but hidden under a hooded cloak. The black was embroided with the golden patterns of the crown. Silence nodded at his comrade, and slunk to the skunk's side.

Cat tried to maintain his confidence. "You're still outnumbered. Stand down or we will have to defeat you !"

"Outnumbered are we ? But two of yours are already tired." The skunk mocked, edging forwards. "And both of us want a challenge !"

* * *

Badr and Tianqi paced around the room.

"Who would want someone dead already ? The tournament barely begun and there's already an assassination." Tianqi murmured.

"Well, I bet if someone like Alpha had the chance they'd have killed someone in the arena." Badr pointed out.

"That's true. But Alpha's not subtle is he ? He'd have blundered by now... what about Chang Shuimian ? That stork doesn't look too trustworthy." Tianqi put in.

"No. Chang convinced me to enter the tournament... he's planning something else." Badr interjected.

"Planning ?" Tianqi was skeptical. "You mean he's already doing something ?"

"No. He wanted me to participate, his game has got something to do with me. Not an assassin." Then the theories went flying like crazy.

"Fair enough. What about Han ? Noone could actually be that stupid unless it's an act am I right ?"

"What about Lee ? I said one thing about his mum and he went all rage mode... the next thing I know is that someone's dead."

"What about the guy with the purple eye ? He's kinda creepy, don't you think so ?"

"Hmmm, true. But the frog lady ? She doesn't look too respectable either ?"

"I haven't seen the one in Red Armour since we got to this palace."

"How about Kuufu ? He's always down Alpha's throat, maybe he wants the wolf out of the way ?"

"The kitsune is Japanese. I don't think you should trust them !" Badr said suddenly.

"Then don't trust the tanuki either !" Tianqi said skeptically. The horse sighed. "We're getting nowhere..."

 _Maybe it's you..._ Badr suddenly realized. He couldn't trust anyone here, for all he knew they were the killer.

* * *

With surprising speed the skunk whirled around, bent over and raised his tail. Cat had already leapt in one direction, with Zora and Qian diving the other way. The last thing anyone wanted was to stink of shit for the next couple of days.

To their surprise nothing happened in the next two minutes. Then there was the sound of cutting cheese, followed by an explosion of flames.

"What the fuck !" Qian roared as the flames consumed the room, creeping closer to their hiding place and Mr Wo's limp body.

Cat charged through the blaze and pulled the lynx away from the fire, his right leg getting a rather nasty singe. He seethed, but raised the unconcious feline over his shoulder before leaping into the relative safety of the kitchen. Qian and Zora were quick to follow.

The cheetah lay Mr Wo down on the ground, before turning back to the roaring flames. A dart flew forwards and hit one of the kitsune's tails. A second later he was out for the count.

"What are we going to do ?!" Qian screeched, arming himself with a pair of kitchen knives larger than him.

Cat watched the flames warily. "They have us trapped... we can't get out any other way. If we try to run through we'll be shot at and killed before we hit the floor. "

It was hard to see clearly... the flames were so bright.

"Let's set up a barrier !" Qian suggested. "They'll be launching projectiles at random, and we stand no chance of survival if we get knocked out as well."

"Fair enough." Cat kicked over a table and pulled it over to where Mr Wo and Zora's limp forms were lying. He then crouched behind it, with Qian standing on his shoulder.

"Now it's two on two. You're unarmed and we have absolutely no idea what the two of them are capable of... Our best hope is if one of us can get to the others and get help. Ask Misty, she'll know what to do. "

"And how on earth am I meant to get to your girlfriend at a time like this ?!"

"I'll cover you. On three I'll rush out and draw their fire. Don't worry about-"

"I wasn't worrying." Qian cut through.

Cat sighed. "Fine then on three. Two. One."

The cheetah pounced into the air, knocking over another table which he picked up in his paws. He then charged right into the blazing inferno, followed by Qian.

* * *

The tanuki watched the tree grow and bear fruit. With some degree of patience he waited until the apple was edible, before sending the tree back into seed form, and chewing on the fruit.

"Interesting move... you certainly won't be going hungry." Misty joked. Currently she was playing with a small amount of water, letting it leap up and down like a tsunami.

"Do you want one ?" The tanuki ventured to ask, still chewing his own apple.

"I'm fine thanks." She continued playing with the water.

The thoughts of the murder were at the front of their minds, but neither one wanted to bring up the topic.

* * *

 _Footnote: And the situation has just gotten a lot more precarious hasn't it ?  
_

 _While Cat and Qian are trying to survive the latest of the Kingswood's attacks, the other competitors are all blissfully unaware... or are they ?_

 _And of course I left you on another cliffhanger :)_

 _And the skunk... what's up with him you ask ? Read on and you shall see. He belongs to VoreLover360_


	16. A Scuffle

"I see your talents haven't changed..." The hooded figure that was Silence commented. "Their still as ridiculous as the first time."

The skunk grinned, pulling an axe out from his robes. "Ridiculous or not we're about to land ourselves the jackpot !"

"And what exactly is the jackpot ?" Duyao stood behind them, her arms folded behind her back, her eyes narrowed at the pair of them. She had lost Jian, but had found the assassins, as far as she was concerned that was a fair trade.

"None of your stinking bussiness !" The skunk launched the axe at his opponent. Duyao paused for a moment, before sidestepping in the last moment. She was forced to remain in the defensive as the Silence shot a pair of bolts at her in quick succession. She dodged the first but caught the second, before charging forwards.

"Kicks, fall back !" Silence screeched as he was punched violently in the gut and sent flying into the inferno behind him. There was a flash of white light and he was gone.

"As if !" The skunk charged at the frog, swinging madly, but Duyao was quicker. Slamming her fist into the ground she sent a strong shockwave at his feet, knocking him off balance. Duyao promptly followed up by kicking his face further into the ground.

She ducked as another bolt flew her way, this one alive with flames. She wasn't fast enough however as it grazed her shoulder. She was then sucker-punched into a wall by Kicks. She got to her feet quickly enough.

 _I have to locate the archer... he's the one that can kill_. But there was nowhere in the room that could have held him, and no shadows were cast off. _If he's invisible I'll have to locate him from the angle the bolts come from._ She leapt into the air as a battle axe sunk into the floor under her. She had none of her tricks up her sleeve, and her Shockwave punch was the only technique available to her that wouldn't attract wide-scale attention.

The skunk then pivoted around and raised his tail. What would have happened was anybody's guess as it was at that moment that a flaming table soared out from the flames and crashed into Kicks' face. This was followed up wit Cat dealing a dozen punches in quick succession, before finishing off with an uppercut that knocked his opponent backwards.

Qian then came, looking glad to be alive.

"That was good timing." Duyao complemented.

"Just my luck." Cat replied. "What's the situation ?"

"We have one skunk and an archer of unknown species, currently invisible. The archer is the biggest threat, but I have no way to locate him." Duyao finished.

"Biggest threat yeah ?! I'll give you a bloody threat !" The skunk stood up and ripped his cloak off, throwing it into the flames. He was wearing a strange kind of armour, thin and light blue, it resembled glass, but was clearly chain-mail. The skunk crouched down onto all fours, his tail reared up on top of him like a balista.

The skunk grinned. "Say goodbye ya goners !" A moment later he sent a blast of supercharged air towards them. Qian leapt backwards, Duyao and Cat had gone to the sides. Still all it took was one sniff and the ferret was coughing.

"That _stinks !_ " Qian was clutching at his throat, retching, trying to get the foul air out of his lungs.

"Why thank you, that's the nicest thing I've heard all day !"

* * *

Zhanshi was bored. She was also lonely. Separating her from Viccori had been predictable, but giving her no roommate hadn't been. She had expected to get someone like Yue, or Han, instead she had gotten the Red Rogue, who was still nowhere to be found. She was trying to get some rest but couldn't shake away the feeling that she wasn't quite alone... This Palace was a weird place... She was certain Viccori would want to know the killer's identity, mostly out of curiosity, but she also knew that he was doing it for her as well... if someone as random as the referee was going to get killed, why stop at his companion ?

* * *

The Silence stared down at the limp form of Mr Wo and the kitsune. Kicks was just the diversion. The ferret was of no value to them, and the cheetah only a little more. The Eye of Amethyst would be valuable, but taking it would be a little... awkward if she were to find out. Right now the main prize was the kitsune. Full of magical potential, and a kit, they were easier to harvest, and if they were corruptible, potential life-long members.

 _"Secret Style of Light: Feet of Frenzy !"_ The assassin barely had time to register the noise before he was sent flying forwards. He turned around but saw nothing but a flash of blue light. His head crashed back into the floor, and Zorori kicked him again in the chin, sending him crashing into a wall.

"Just a little dart isn't enough to stop the Light of Japan !"

The assassin pulled himself to his feet. "My time here is over... I guess I'll have to try my luck another day."

"Don't you dare-" But the cloak fell to the floor and the assassin was there no more. Zora walked over to the cloak, looking at it curiously. Suddenly it blew up in his face, and knocked him back into a wall... how on earth did the explosive not blow up in the heat itself ?

* * *

"Kicks, time's up !" The assassin somehow had another hood up already.

"Man I was just about to-" The assassin caught him by the tail, and the two disappeared without another sound.

"Right, first priority-the fire !" Cat turned to the blaze, unsure of how to tackle it. Nothing in his skill-set helped in putting it out.

"Right, leave that to me." Duyao slammed both her fists into the ground in front of the blaze, the resulting shockwave effectively blowing out the flames.

Zora walked in from the kitchen, holding the now semi-concious Mr Wo.

Duyao pondered what to do next, they were out of immediate danger, but still ran the risk of getting disqualified for disobeying... "We should head back to our beds, if we're caught out in the open like this we're all out for the running."

She scanned them all over. Zora and Mr Wo were a bit drowsy from the effects of the darts, Cat seemed unharmed, Qian seemed to have somehow gotten skunked, although he didn't stink from the way he was retching clearly he could smell skunk everywhere.

"We'll need to discuss what happened here. Tomorrow we will meet up here, and get to the bottom of this. Clear ?"

There were mumbles of approval, and Cat would definitely come. G _ood, if what happened here was what it appeared to be I've knocked off some suspects... but who said everything was how it seems to be ?_

Just then Jian walked in on them. His eye widened in surprise, but he was silenced by a look from Qian. The sight of his brother coughing and spluttering seemed to soften his features slightly, before hardening them even further. "Who did this !?"

* * *

 _Footnote: Kind of a short fight, eh ? Well it was originally much much much longer, but then I realized that I was giving a little (a lot) too much away. I mean we can't just show off ALL their techniques in the first fight, now can we ? So I decided against publishing something that epic (I still have the document, and might post it as a deleted scene somewhere further on, when we've already seen a bit more)._

 _So then I started from scratch, but I didn't know where to start, it started looking too much like my original document so I reshaped it. I went to the original author behind two of the major combatants, Kicks the Skunk and the assassin Silence, both belong to VoreLover360. So the two of us got on a google doc and started typing up some action._

 _He's a great author but his fight scenes tend to get a little... odd. Not that that's bad but this fic may be rated M but I don't feel ready to post something that's technically NSFW, as for that fight VoreLover might post it up on his profile later on._

 _So I wrote this shorter one instead, keeping the conclusion much the same (that way technically all three are 'cannon' but this one just happens to be the most convenient for the story). Still I never expected I'd get to do so much with these characters already !_

 _Anyways, I guess that's it for now. Enjoy !_


	17. The Second Task

"Rise and shine !" The loud noise of a gong crashing through the air knocked Han to his senses, and made him roll of his bed and land on the floor. The wolverine got to his feet, shaking the sleepiness out of his head. Why was a gong sounding today ? There was no reason for anyone to be awoken so early for something petty. Viccori was already awake, brooding over something with his paws crossed over his mouth. The wolverine searched the porcupine for any sign of a gong, but found none on him.

"Why did they wake us up ?" Han Guan said yawning.

Viccori's eyes darted towards him. "What did you ask ?" He said, not really caring.

Han was once again gripped with a strange kind of fear. "Uh, nothing important." He mumbled, but the porcupine had gone back to brooding.

Then the door swung open and Mrs Tamod's face popped into their room. "I expect the pair of you up and out in three minutes, get ready, there's been a little change of plans !"

Han blinked. This was never a good sign.

* * *

The competitors were all awake, though some of them looked like they could have used more sleep. Duyao was noticeably exhausted, Qian looked like he had gotten no sleep at all, Jian had probably rested up for two minutes and Zora looked like he had been baked. The kitsune's leg was still bandaged, and he had a graze on his elbow, his eyes were also confused and seemed to be looking both everywhere and nowhere. Mr Wo was in a similar state, with his large purple eye looking in the opposite direction to his other one. Alpha looked annoyed at having been woken up, Kuufu had clearly sweated through the night, and both stunk and was soaked. Lee looked ready for action, Viccori was bored, Zhanshi was passive. Cat looked bursting with energy, and Misty was as fresh as she had ever been. Pula looked bored and Yue stayed stoic and to a certain extent expressionless. Pulsar was wearing a night gown and looked incredibly annoyed. Mrs Tamod looked like she had been up all night, but she still wore a huge grin on her face. Tianqi looked unimpressed at having been roused so early, and the Red Rogue was still nowhere to be seen.

"Due to circumstances we have had to skip the week of preparation, the second task begins today. I expect you to ready all your equipment and any armour you need immediately. In half an hour all of you must present yourself in the arena, with any equipment you intend to use. Good luck and get ready !" With that she turned and left, leaving the competitors dumbstruck.

Badr grimaced. He had to do something fast, there was no way he would be able to fight anyone here and win, he didn't have anything, any weapons any plans, any idea of how he would get himself forwards...

He felt a wing on his shoulder and looked up to see Chang Shuimian standing over him. "A word, if you please ?"

Badr nodded, he didn't have anything to worry about with Chang, the stork had given him a meal before and hadn't poisoned him, if this was a plan at sabotage then it must have come from nowhere.

"Right Badr, things here get a little complicated. From this point on you are fighting for your own family by yourself, for yourself, therefore you need to win your match up. You're not a fighter and I didn't have time to teach you how to harness your potential... but I can give you something that will even the odds a little." The stork removed a pellet from under his hat. "It's a dangerous weapon, use it immediately if you're faced with someone you can't luck yourself out of, the quicker you use it the more chances there are of you not ending up knocked out. But you didn't get it from me, are we clear ?"

Badr gritted his teeth. On one hand it was Chang, and the stork could be trusted, on the other this was getting a little suspicious, why was he going out of his way to help a cat he had literally met last week ? "What if I'm matched against you ?"

Chang smirked. "It won't do you much good if they know what to expect. Use it on someone who can't leave the ground easily either, it'll make it easier in the long run." Chang held out the pellet, Badr took it in his paw.

"Why are you helping me ?" Badr asked.

Chang smirked again, but turned away and didn't answer. Badr scowled and placed the pellet in his pocket. He wasn't going to use it, whatever it was !

* * *

The sun was so strong it seemed to be whacking at them all with all the mercy of a slave-master. The heat was everywhere, and the sand was almost boiling at their feet. They had arrived at the arena, and it was already packed, somehow or other word had already gone out to those wanting to watch.

"Come on Badr !"

"You can do it !"

He heard the support of his sisters but made no motion or any hint of interest in them. Han on the other hand waved at them profusely. "Hey guys !"

Much to Badr's annoyance Xiao Bao and Ai then began cheering on the wolverine, who for their sake began throwing exotic poses of victory and strength. Badr got a smidgen of satisfaction when the mustelid fell on his face after striking a particularly 'victorious' one. He turned to see his father, who looked like he had woken up some time around mid night, looking grave and serious. There were eighteen empty seats next to Badr's family, and A'waan and Azam were nowhere to be seen.

Then, much to the shock of the competitors and the delight of the crowd a figure clad in crimson armour leapt onto the field of sand, a pair of tonfas slung across their back. They bowed down to much cheering, while the rest of the competitors looked on with mixed feelings of suspicion, annoyance and envy. Mr Wo mumbled something to Chang Shuimian, and the stork leapt back looking like he'd just been slapped across the face. The lynx then giggled, while the stork looked on disapprovingly.

Then Badr heard two very familiar voices coming from somewhere above. Much to his shock he spotted A'waan and Azam, sharing teh seat Hei Zei de Bahen had occupied the day before.

Badr's jaw dropped.

"Hey Badr are those your brothers ?" Han asked, squinting at the two black cats.

"Ladies aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand gentlemen ! Are you ready for a bit of action ? Well I'm not because I just woke up !" Badr doubted his brother was joking, but the crowds seemed to love the humor.

"The Second Task is going to be a little more direct ! W're not wasting any time on scrolls and amulets and finding things in the dirt !"

"No that's just boring !"

"Today the only way forwards is by winning a random one on one !"

"How is it going to be random you ask ?"

"We're gonna draw one parchment each ! On each parchment is one of the competitor's names, so we pull out two names and then-"

"Bam ! They beefing !"

The crowd roared with laughter and erupted into cheers.

"So let's get down to it !"

"Yeah, then I can nap while they fight to the death."

"You're not getting payed to nap !"

"It was a joke, geez man relax !"

"The first match up is..." They said in unison, throwing a paw each into a clay pot placed in full view of the whole arena.

Badr's heart pounded, he had to win...

"The Red Rogue..." A'waan called out.

"Han !" Azam finished.

The wolverine leapt a foot in the air. "Oh yeah baby ! Right off the bat ! Prepare to get wrec-" He promptly landed on his face. The Red Rogue looked annoyed at having been matched up against... that, but it was hard to tell with their mask still on.

"Now will the remaining competitors please make their way to the eighteen empty seats next to my family !" A'waan called out.

They did as they were told and filed along, leaving the sands empty save for Han and the Red Rogue.

The wolverine placed his axe on the ground, the Red Rogue removed their tonfas. They both entered their stances.

"Now let battle commence !" A'waan and Azam yelled out simultaneously.

* * *

 _Another cliffhanger XD, and onto the Second Task we gooooo !  
_

 _Enjoy !_


	18. Han Vs the Red Rogue

**A/N: The first match of the Second Task ! Are you ready to ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuumble ?! Well first I have to explain the formatting of these fights. In italics are the commentary by A'waan and Azam, the rule is Azam first then A'waan, because things would get confusing otherwise. Now I will be dropping some hints as to the identity of Hei Zei's murder in these fights, so pay close attention to the character interactions as well as the fight itself. Now there are a lot of chracaters so if I miss one or two out, don't worry I'm keeping tabs on them, so most likely the next chapter or so will start with some of them. Most fights will last two chapters, with one being the initial build-up, the other being the actual ending, this isn't exactly a rule, especially since some fights may end up longer than others, or shorter. Still ENJOOOOOOY MORTAL COMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT !**

Han narrowed his eyes at his impartial opponent. The Red Rogue made no move, and neither did he.

Much to his surprise a deep voice rumbled from under the armour. "Listen kid, I'll give you some good advice. Give up !"

Han narrowed his eyes further, his brow furrowed in annoyance. "I'll give you better advice. Don't underestimate me. I am the Master and Creator of the Three Stances Technique-"

"Never heard of it." The deep voice rumbled.

Han looked like he had just been whacked across the face. "Whaddya mean you never heard of it ?"

 _"So far the competitors are throwing mocks at each other !"_

 _"It looks like Han's loosing his temper... Don't let that guy get to you !"_

"For the record I've never heard of it either !" Alpha shouted out from the stands.

Han snapped at the wolf. "I'll give you a first class demonstration ! And after that I'll use it on your-"

The Red Rogue used Han's distraction to punch the side of the wolverine's head, and knock him backwards into the sand. "Talk to your opponent, or better yet, don't talk at all !" The Red Rogue's deep voice replied.

Han got to his feet and picked up his hammer. He leapt into the air, and brought the blade upwards. "This will teach you a lesson about-"

The Red Rogue was no longer in front of him. They were...

"Han above you !" Xiao Bao's cry came too late. His axe crashed into the sand, and the feline's foot slammed into his nose.

Alpha snorted. "Looks like yer buddy's finished." He said to Badr, chuckling. Badr made no reply, but Ai did.

"Shut up you big bully ! He's not done yet ! I bet he still has dozens of tricks up his sleeve !"

"I'll take that bet kitty ! This guys got nothing ! Let's put it on seventy yuan !"

"I-er, don't have-"

"I'll take your bet Alpha." Came Chang Shuimian's voice. "If I loose you get a hundred yuan. If you loose you give the little girl a hundred. Sound fair ?"

Alpha laughed. "I'll take it !"

The wolf's paw and the stork's wing shook. Mr Wo looked at Chang disapprovingly. "You have an unfair advantage with these types of things." The lynx said.

"Please, like you're not abusing your own powers !"

Han swung his circular axe head, but the fully armoured feline was too quick for him. They were behind him before his swing was even over, and had two tonfa blades pressed against the back of his chest plate.

"Give up, or I'll make you give up."

"One thing you should know is that a Lin Kuei never gives up... but then again-" He lifted the axe again, and swung it at his opponent's feet. The Red Rogue just barely managed to dodge the blow, and got a headbutt to their chest with enough force to knock them to the ground. Han gave no mercy and lifted the axe into the air before bringing it down again right onto their own suit of armour. The feline rolled out of the way just barely, but was again given no respite as Han continued playing whack-a-mole with his axe.

 _"Looks like Han has turned the tides of this match, can he go all the way ?"_

 _"Get them Han ! Make 'em feel the pain !"_

 _"We're meant to be impartial-"_

 _"Please, like you even know what that word means !"_

"You have lovely children Mr Ajam." Zora complimented. Qadim facepalmed.

"I'm glad you think so... raising them wasn't exactly a walk in the park."

"How come ?" Came Yue's voice, the badger looking on with a serious lack of interest at the fight.

"Well... money was always a problem, but they never really learned to get along all too well either. regrettably there's only so much you can teach, a lot of it has to be learned through experience."

The Red Rogue had managed to flip themselves back to their feet, but that didn't stop Han in the slightest. The wolverine kept on going for it with violent swing after violent swing.

"Where is all this strength coming from ?" Lee muttered, his eyes narrowed at the wolverine. "He was getting beaten up a few seconds ago..."

"It appears the pup isn't as useless as he seems." Viccori said, his eyes narrowed. "When you've lived as long as me you can tell that something's not right with someone based on what they can do. Han is clearly stronger than any child his age should be... but the strength's not his."

 _I think I'm old enough to know that something's not right with you._ Lee thought.

"His chi's different." Came Misty's answer. "It looked different before, now its power has also increased, and since it's power has increased he has as well. He's essentially forcing himself to keep up with his opponent's movements. "

"That's not all of it." Viccori scowled. "There's something else to this kid... something strange."

"Well, why don't you tell us then ?" Cat asked, sounding slightly impatient.

"Because I..." _Don't know yet._ "...Don't want to tell you !"

Cat scoffed, and looked back at the fight. Zhanshi glared at him. "Don't you dare scoff at-"

"Leave him be Zhanshi... he'll sort himself out eventually." Viccori said, and the badger, with some muttering, was quiet.

Han followed up with a particularly strong one that sent sand flying in all directions, however it had come nowhere near to hitting the Red Rogue. The sand cleared and the feline found the claws of a wolverine pressed against their throat.

"Heh, now you need to give up. In one paw I have three claws pointed at your chest, in the other my axe. One move and you're finished. I already dis-"

He was sent flying by an uppercut, before getting two tonfas slammed into his chestplate.

"Didn't I tell you not to talk ?" The Red Rogue demanded.

"B-but... I disabled your arms, they shouldn't be working." Han rose to his feet, his eyes widening in confusion.

"I felt the points you pressed, but a nerve attack is blocked by protection. Armour, thick fur, even fat can prevent an attack like that. And in case you didn't notice, I'm wearing armour."

"He's not a total idiot." Jian muttered.

Qian looked at his twin doubtfully. "He tried to use a nerve attack on a fully armored opponent."

"Yes, but he created a convenient diversion for him to get in quickly. His axe missed deliberately, and sent sand into the air like a smoke bomb."

Qian still looked doubtful but shrugged. "Either way I doubt I'll end up fighting him."

Han swung again, but the Red Rogue was good at ducking and the swing sailed over their head. They then pinned Han to the wall, and slammed their head into his.

Han crumpled and for a while it looked like the Red Rogue had won. They turned around only to be punched in the back.

"You saw my first stance; Agression, let's see what you think of my next one ?"

The feline got to their feet and glared at him. "Your stances will be the death of you. I warn you, give up and leave while you still can."

"Another thing you need to know about a Link Kuei. I don't give up, and I never die ! Now come suck me dry !" He motioned at his crotch.

 _"Han.. you're in public."_

 _"Ew man, that was gross !"_

Alpha turned to Chang. "That doesn't count ! So far he hasn't done anything impressive !"

Chang 'humphed', and crossed his wings.

"His chi's changing again." Misty pointed out.

"That's not the only thing that's changing." Pulsar pointed out. "Did you hear his voice ? Is it just me or did it get deeper ?"

"It's just you." Cat replied, making Pulsar bite his lip.

"No, the kids right. He's changing... he's becoming something else." Viccori said, eyes narrowed at his roommate, this was strange...

"Did you just request me to 'suck you dry' ?"

"Or I could fuck you to death ! Your choice really."

The Red Rogue charged forwards and swung with their tonfas at the wolverine's arms. In a second they were inside the safety of the chest-plate, the tonfas slamming harmlessly into the impenetrable metal. They then swung for the wolverine's head, but that too disappeared inside the chest-plate.

"Stance two; Tortoise !"

His opponent blinked as his arms flew back out of the chest-plate and slammed into their chest, knocking them backwards.

"He's a lot faster now." Ai commented. "What did he do ? Was he just acting slow before or ?"

"He just got a bit of a kick from within." Chang explained. "I assume the metal of that breastplate is very well forged, as far as I can see their isn't even a scratch on it."

"It seems to be of normal steel... but there's something coursing through Han's fur into it, making it near impenetrable."

"Woah, how do you know that ?" Ai asked, stunned by the lynx's knowledge.

Mr Wo turned to her, his large purple eye fixed into her gaze. "I'm not an ordinary person Miss Ajam. But then again, neither is your friend."

 _"Han has the advantage, can he keep it up ?"_

The Red Rogue swung low, missing his crotch by an inch, before rapidly bringing her tonfas down onto his chest. The metal absorbed the attack, but Han was too slow and received a punch to the face. In the same motion the Red Rogue picked up her tonfas and swung them for Han's shoulders. The wolverine's arms went within the chestplate.

 _"Come on Han you can do it ! I believe in you !"_

The Red Rogue then sent her leg crashing into his own feet, knocking him to the ground, before he had the chance to recover, or even release his arms from the plate, the round piece of armour was kicked right off of him, where it rolled away across the arena. They were about to deliver a finishing blow when the wolverine's scarred features seemed to make them freeze. They stopped suddenly, one tonfa dropped, the feline holding onto the wolverine's leg for support as they fell on their knees.

Han winced, the whole arena were looking away. He knew it was gross, he heard the sound of retching. Han looked up at the Red Rogue.

"You have no idea what I've been through... now do you understand why I can never give up ?" Han kicked out at his opponent's knee, and knocked them away, before trying to get to his feet... His right leg... refused to budge.

"I know about nerve attacks myself, and would never use them on an armoured opponent. That was frankly stupid. Your right leg can't move, your plate and axe are out of reach. Unless you have any more tricks up your sleeves... you're finished."

"No ! If anyone sees you-" Han shouted, clutching at his belly, where black tattoos were beginning to form. "No ! I said _no_ !" Han clutched at his head... the pain was horrible, all over him. "P-please... _don't_." Han rolled over, he was a writhing thing now. He coughed, and his pleading was cut short. A cloud of crimson spewed forth from his mouth, his nose, and his eyes shut.

The Red Rogue watched in fascinated horror... what was he ?

* * *

 _Footnote: And another cliffhanger. Place your bets ladies and gentlemen ! Who do you vote for, Han the Annoying or the silent Red Rogue ?  
_

 _Enjoy !_


	19. Demon Han

**A/N: I wanted to inform you my dear readers that I am not dead ! And don't have any plans of dying soon. I'm going on vacation which will take up the rest of the summer, more or less, so I'll just leave you with Han's fight so I don't keep you all on a cliffhanger (Even though I may or may not have done that with Journey to Japan... Oh well XD)**

Han's form was changing rapidly. The crimson air seemed to be covering his whole form, and it looked like he was mutating. His fur was growing thicker and longer and seemed to have a new edge to it. It was also turning a delicate shade of crimson, his eyes were growing and stretching, becoming more triangular in overall shape. The tattoos on his belly were spreading across his body rapidly, curling through his fur like snakes, and became a strange kind of mask around his eyes.

 _"What the hell !"_

 _"You never told me you were a demon !"_

"Daddy ! What's happening to Han ?" Ai asked, sounding both frightened and excited. Qadim looked for some kind of explanation to give his daughter but could think of nothing.

"Han is not the only thing living within the wolverine." Chang Shuimian began. "He is a vessel, a host in other words."

Alpha looked scandalized at the stork. "How do you-"

"I have a natural talent with these types of things. I can sense chi like you smell, when I first looked into Han's eyes, I detected that he was not the only thing living inside of him."

Viccori was looking at Chang with what looked like grudging praise. Lee was staring at Han, the wolverine had been nice, if a little weird... but a demon ? That had been pulled out of someone's ass !

Yue narrowed her eyes. She had not come even close to suspecting the wolverine. He was a child after all, what reason would he have to kill anyone ? But at the same time Han was clearly not in full control of himself... and by what coincidence did he happen to know about the assassin... but not speak anything of value about him ?

Tianqi looked only half impressed. "I admit I didn't expect that, but since the hoof fits... I guess Han is weirder than I thought."

The Red Rogue was staring at the beast with wide open eyes. Sure they had expected a tough tourney... but a demon, in the first round no less. That had come as a surprise !

Han now looked like a beast from someone's imagination. He had two small black horns sticking out the top of his head, his fur was sharper and crimson and his scarred chest was more gnarled and horrid than ever before. He bared his teeth at his feline opponent.

"I think Alpha... you owe the little girl your money." Chang said.

 _AWROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

The demon that was Han let out an almighty roar that sent the Red Rogue flying backwards.

Pula had been napping since the fight had started. It was hard getting sleep on the top bunk and now he was meant to watch two morons duke it out ? No thanks. He had just been drifting off when Han's roar had startled him awake. His eyes practically exploded out of their sockets when Demon Han made their move.

The Red Rogue was unable to get out of the way in time and was violently sent flying with a punch to the gut that shattered their chest-plate.

Chang blinked. "I wasn't expecting this much power..."

"His control is also impressive." Viccori commented. "He should be going wild now, or whatever's inside him should be taking control fully, but he seems like he's still in charge of his actions. Though not conscious of them."

Chang nodded. "That's a good inference. I suppose you get that from the fact that he was actually able to swing ?"

Viccori gave him another grudging look. "Yes, yes I did."

Han swung again, missing the Red Rogue by a small gap, and sending sand flying everywhere when his blow connected.

"So this is your old apprentice ? Little Han seems all grown up now." Miss Kitty told her colleague.

"Make no mistake, he was a good kid. But I never hesitated to teach him a thing or two about authority ! Whenever he stepped outta line I'd give him a good smack on the head." Stones replied.

Both were dressed in black robes with gold crowns stitched onto them. One figure was smaller and more slender, clearly feminine judging from her voice, the other was larger and more rotund.

"Would you hesitate to put him out of business ?" The feminine voice replied.

"I said he was my student, that doesn't mean I give a crap about what happens to him. For all I care, Kicks can have him !"

"You know what Kicks would do to him...".

"Oooh, are you feeling sorry for him ? Just remember what he done to your family, eh ? Besides... I have a new pupil."

"That boy is not to be trusted. But I appreciate your enthusiasm in teaching him... he is similar to Han in more ways than one."

 _"Well, in case you're fucking blind, Han has just used some strange magical Kung Fu Technique to kick ass !"_

"Did you raise your children vulgar ?" Mr Wo asked Qadim.

"I advised them against swearing unnecessarily... but I guess this is a first for them."

"But not for you ?" Chang asked curiously.

Qadim bit his lip. "You could say that."

Ai and Xiao Bao's eyes widened. "You've seen this _before_ ?!" They asked simultaneously.

By now the shock of Han's transformation had worn off, but that didn't change much of the situation. The competitors were still watching and the Red Rogue's stance was getting more and more desperate. Their armour was shattered on their chest and bits of it were falling off whenever they moved. Han was forcing them to keep on the move constantly, and the fact that the two announcers were shouting their heads off didn't help.

Han stepped back slightly, baring his fangs at his opponent, before unleashing another roar that pushed the feline backwards. Mid air teh Red Rogue threw their tonfas at the beast. Both scored a direct hit, and dropped to the sand.

"What the hell !? That was a good throw !?" Pulsar exclaimed, the tanuki was already startled by Demon Han's appearance, but right now he was impenetrable.

Misty gave the answer to that. "Well since he could channel his chi into his armour before and make that impenetrable, I'd say it's not a stretch to say that he did the same with his fur."

Han then swung for the Red Rogue again.

"They can't take him out from outside." Chang summarised.

"He can't get nerve attacked." Cat observed.

"I don't think they have anything that could beat him now." Badr said. He was both impressed at Han's skill... and worried that he'd have to fight it himself.

The Red Rogue received another crushing blow to the chest, sending the armour tearing into their own flesh. They cried out in pain, and pulled back several feet, before ripping off the whole chest plate.

 _No nerve points, no tonfas. His hide is impenetrable... but are his insides ?_

Han charged once again, swinging with a clawed hand. The Red Rogue ducked and in the last fleeting moment latched onto the arm, before twisting it painfully. The force of Han's swing and the pressure of the Red Rogue's twisting made a sound like the snapping of a tree.

Badr turned away. Qadim covered the eyes of his daughters, but the announcers got a bird-eye view of the whole thing.

 _"That's... that can't be allowed ! You just broke someone's arm !"_

 _"Yeah you bitch ! Disqualified !"_

"It doesn't work that way..." Mrs Tamod grumbled.

Demon Han collapsed, the pain sending his bizzare red fur back into him. His eyes reverted to their normal nature. He was lying on the ground... all worn out. He was finished, the pain in his arm was tormenting him and he was too tired to move any other part of his body.

Chang grimaced. "I... didn't see that coming."

Mr Wo frowned. "I suppose since he was focusing his chi so hard around the outside of his body he wasn't paying attention to his insides... and his bones lost most of their natural strength, meaning that breaking them would be about a hundred times easier."

"Poor Han, he came so close." Lee murmured.

Alpha shrugged. "At least I won't have to see how pathetic his Three Stances are against me."

Ai glared at him. "Go suck a dick you son of a bitch Han is a ten-"

Qadim placed his paw over his daughter's mouth. "My children are quite spirited." He said apologetically.

Alpha merely 'humphed'.

Then Chang ruined the wolf's mood completely. "I think it's fair to say Han had a couple of tricks up his sleeve. Be a good pup and go buy the young lady some sweet dumplings now would you ?"

Alpha looked positively pissed. "What if my match's next ?!"

"Then buy it after you loose !" Chang snapped.

Pula frowned... a part of him had wanted the match to go longer... if only so he could nap for a bit more.

The Red Rogue leaned down over Han's limp form. "I told you to give up."

"I told you... I can't." Han tried to get to his feet, pushing his one good arm against the sand. Straining from the effort he collapsed again.

"Don't worry. I'm not a killer." The Red Rogue jabbed two claws on the wolverine's neck, and Han lost consciousness.

 _I... I can't..._

The Red Rogue got up, picked up their tonfas, and left the arena. A crowd of medics surrounded Han and carted him off on a stretcher.

"Well, I can't say I'm not impressed. You taught him well." The slender figure said to the other.

"Hehe, I think it's fair to say he _should_ have won that." The stout figure replied.

"Well, his opponent is quite the clever one. But they're irrelevant. You know what I want." Her eyes narrowed down at the competitors.

 _"Right... after that depressing-"_

 _"Obvious bit of cheating-"_

 _"Bullshit rule-making-"_

 _"Match. It's time for the next round !"_

The competitors fixed their gaze on the pair of cats. Two scrolls were pulled out.

 _"Zora 'Black-Tip' Pom-Poko-"_

 _"And in the other corner the-"_

* * *

 _Footnote: Find out next time ! In about a month XD Still I'm sure this chapter was enough to keep you satisfied. Not only does it give you about another fifty questions, but it also kicks Han out of the running, remember the rule though, the less fights they get in the tourney, the more they get outside of the arena, so we're not saying goodbye to Han just yet !  
_

 _Enjoy !_


	20. Battle of Speed and Light

**A/N: I have nothing to say.**

 _"Cat of Mount Fuji!"_

The crowd roared with approval. Zora stood up, threw his arms into the air and yelled 'woohoo'. He then hopped off the barrier and onto the sand, landing gracefully and entering his stance. Cat was similarly excited and with a bit of bowing to the cheering crowds landed in the sand, entering his stance.

Both were absurdly over the top. Zora with his tails spread out in every direction his ninjite drawn, his feet tapping impatiently on the ground. Cat was similarly impatient his tail swishing from side to side, his claws twitching...

Then A'waan and Azam both yelled out in one voice. _"Begin!"_

Cat was fast and swung for Zora, who was just as fast and ducked, replying with a kick of his own Cat had to suck in his belly to avoid. The cheetah swung downwards with his claws, but Zora did not stay close-bye enough to warrant another close call, and had retreated backwards. Both stared the other down, then with incredible speed and a blur of paws they began performing paw seals.

Misty glanced uncertainly between Cat and the kitsune. She did not want Cat to hurt the young one... but with his speed it might be a problem to go easy on him.

Yue could spot the patterns in their seals, and could tell that they were both going to use a completely different technique.

" _Aura Staff!"_ Cat had finished a fraction of a second earlier and was closing in on Zora, now armed with a staff of pure light. Zora was undettered and threw a paw onto the sand.

" _Light of the Earth!_ " Five pillars of pure light shot up from the ground and surrounded him, Cat running right into one.

 _"I can't see!"_

"Too much light!"

Mr Wo was the only one still staring at the arena, though now he had closed his smaller purple eye. Cat however could see his opponent clearly and swung the staff down at him. Zora blocked with his ninjite, before ducking as Cat swung for his head, and jumping as the cheetah swung for his feet. He put the ninjite in his mouth and his arms behind his back, and continuwd ducking and weaving in and out of Cat's swinging. Cat slammed the ground again, but this time Zora neither ducked nor weaved, he had simply disappeared with a resounding 'Ping', which was now being repeated as a blur of bright light flew from pillar to pillar. Cat cursed and began performing his necessary seals. The final 'Ping' echoed and Zora was launched at Cat so fast he threw the sand up around him and created a cloud of dust.

 _"Is it over already?"_

 _"My EYES!"_

 _"I TOLD YOU NOT TO LOOK!"_

The pillars of light had vanished, leaving five holes in the earth where the light had gone through. Zora was pulling himself out of the kitsune-shaped crater in the barrier when Cat reappeared from out of nowhere.

"What the hell! How did Zora not get him! That move's never missed before!"

"Cat isn't slow." Misty reminded him. "But he must have teleported, I could tell by his seals."

The cheetah charged and used the staff as a pole to vault himself feet first towards Zora. He sailed right through the kitsune, who vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Looking for this, Cat-chan?" Zora lay on his belly, in what he probably thought was a seductive pose.

Pulsar face-palmed himself so hard it hurt. "Oh boy..." He groaned.

"Or would you prefer," Zora continued, his paws formed the final seal."This!" Fifty puffs of smoke flew up around him, and by the time it had cleared away Zora was no longer there. There was no less than fifty nude Misty's lying on the sand, blowing kisses at Cat.

"My EYES!" Lee yelled clutching his head tightly. Kuufu had gotten to work with his... you guessed right. Jian and Qian had both covered the other's eyes, or rather eyes and eye. Misty was looking away, undoubtedly embarassed. Pulsar was laughing. Qadim covered Xiao Bao's eyes and was grateful when Chang Shuimian did the same with Ai.

 _"Well that is..."_

 _"Damn! She's hot! Is she taken?"_

 _"She's too old for you!"_

"And she is taken!" Cat bellowed menacingly, obliterating the nude Misty illusions left, right and center.

 _"Hey I was gonna jack to that!"_

 _"Your-dad-is-in-the-arena!"_

After Cat was finished defending her honor he stood there, looking for his opponent. Zora was waving from the other side of the arena. Cat almost snarled. He would show no mercy. He charged, but Zora was no longer there. Cat swung and Zora blocked the staff with his ninjite.

Zora swung low, his tails knocking Cat off balance, before he sent the cheetah hurtling away with a ball of light. While Cat was pushed back Zora focused hard on his tails, and out of each of them came a glowing ball of light.

"Sorry I'm late mother!" Saphire apologized, taking the seat next to her mother.

Mrs Tamod waved away the apology." You only missed the first match. I was hoping the wolverine would pull out a win though, he would have been more entertaining than that cat in red armour."

Sapphire nodded."How did he win?"

"He broke the poor child's arm...though arguably that was in self-defence."

Saphire stood up. "I'm sorry mother, I forgot I have dancing classes with Mistress Yun now. I will join you later."

Zora launched the orbs of light at his opponent. Cat must have teleported again, as after the cloud of sand had cleared there was nothing but a huge crater where the attack had hit.

"Wow... he's strong." Ai breathed out.

"Indeed. Even for a kitsune he has shown exceptional skill." Chang added.

Alpha snorted."He's got power but he's sloppy. He keeps missing."

Viccori frowned and with no emotion in his voice replied."So like you, but with power."

Alpha glared at Viccori, who glared back, and then Zhanshi punched the wolf on the muzzle.

"Don't you dare glare at him!" She snarled warningly.

Wisely, Alpha backed off.

Cat hopped back into the arena, now armed with claws that were both longer than before and glowed with bright light. Cat charged Zora, and swung at him. Zora just barely dodged it, but couldn't avoid the kick that came with it. And was sent into the barrier, forming another crater.

"Did he just get faster?" Pulsar asked.

Misty nodded."And stronger too."

Zora was caught by another flying tiger kick that knocked him back even more. A moment later and Cat was upon him, his claws of light vanishing right through the illusion. There were more puffs of smoke and this time the nude Misty's stood tails raised and asses turned towards the feline.

Pulsar laughed.

 _"I'd jack to this but somehow it's not as entertaining watching them get blown apart."_

 _"That and he doesn't want to show all of you his oddly shaped dick!"_

"You have raised some children." Chang pointed out.

Cat had just defended Misty's dignity again when he found something wedged under his tail.

 _"Did he just stick his claws up that guy's-"_

" _Art of the Kitsune: No more sitting down!_ " With a jolt of pain Cat felt power pulse through his butt, before launching him high into the air.

Zora chased after him and became a flying ball of bright light. He overtook Cat and stopped suddenly, bringing his foot into the cheetah's stomach, and sent the feline crashing back down into the arena. Cat however was fast and caught one of Zora's wayward tails, before bringing the kitsune down with him.

There was another cloud of sand and by the time it had cleared there were two more craters, one for Cat and one for Zora. Both were crawling to their feet.

Han sat up. He could hear the roar of the arena clearly, and wished he was allowed to watch. He was in Solitary Confinement in the hospital wing, that was for the same reason he wasn't allowed to watch. He was a monster and they had all seen. Then to his surprise in walked Sapphire Tamod with a bouquet of flowers.

Han blinked."The others are outside." He said it autaumatically.

Saphire laughed. "They're for you silly! How's the arm looking?"

"As good as new." He flexed it to her surprise.

"But I thought it broke ?"

Han waved it away and picked up the flowers, sucking in the scent with a relish."I get fixed quickly." He replied simply.

"So... what are you going to do ?"

"No idea." Han replied. He should have been tired but the flowers seemed to be giving him some kind of new energy or maybe it was that a girl had given them. To him.


	21. Finishing Moves

**A/N: One thing: Cat can loose, anyone can loose. Misty may be a demigoddess but she's not invincible. I don't care how many tails Zora has, he can loose. My request here is that if one of your favorites gets eliminated please don't flame me...God knows I've got enough stress already...**

 **Anyways onto the main event. Enjoy!**

Cat was clearly nowhere near finished, and sent forwards a blast of pure light at the Kitsune, who blocked with a swirl of light conjured up from his tails. Zora then launched another ball of light at the cheetah, who just managed to finish his seal in time. A shield of light smaller than Zora's appeared on his elbow, and with it the feline blocked the incoming attack. Cat then raced in small circle, sending a small tornado of air towards Zora, who cut through it with a paw glowing white.

Both were near exhaustion and in visible pain. Zora was bruised and battered all over, had lost his hat and his fur was a complete mess. Cat felt throbbing pain all over, paticularly around his bum, and looked only a little less shabby than his opponent.

Both however showed no signs of wanting to stop. For the final time that match they finished their final seals a fraction of a second apart.

Zora placed his paw over one eye and grunted as he opened it, apparently with difficulty. Cat was finished, but seemed to want to wait for the kitsune to strike first. That or he needed to catch his breath.

Zora's eye was shining white, he was looking Cat up and down, with near total focus and attention. Then he spoke.

"You don't have much left. You already wasted all your aura abilities, your speed demon ran out and you can't use your teleportation."

Cat frowned, that glowing eye was just an analytical ability, how dull.

"You can't use Copycat since that only works for physical abilities. Tiger gauntlet would be useful but you know that without Speed Demon you can't get close enough to hit me. As for Foot Tornadoes... Impressive speed, but you'd only be hiding the show from the audience."

Cat was shocked, how did the kitsune know so much about him?

"Moreover if you let me go on the offensive you know you'll have to use your final move, but you also know that risks throwing you into a comma. This fight is finished." Zora's eye returned to normal. The kitsune grinned smugly, his arms crossed over his chest. "What'cha gonna do Cat-chan?"

Cat blinked...the kitsune had just read him like a book.

"What did he do? He just broke right through Cat's confidence... not even I can do that." Misty exclaimed.

Pulsar frowned."Zora isn't dumb. He knows that neither he nor Cat can fight to their full potential any more, but due to the use of his dojutsu Zora knows all of Cat's moves and their limits. Be glad he doesn't bring up any memories... he did that to me last time..."

Viccori frowned. "I have never heard of the dojutsu before. And believe me I do my research when it comes to this kind of thing!"

"You've never heard of it because Zora invented it. It takes a lot out of him though, last time he could barely stand."

The two figures were watching intently. "Again with fucking creepy eyes! He's like Prowler in miniature!"

"That's not a bad thing if we could get him. And don't mention Prowler again... you know how it affects the others... especially Kicks and Howler."

The larger figure nodded."Yeah yeah whatever!"

Cat frowned. "You can't have much left in you... you used a lot of needlessly big techniques. You should have started with the eye. Cat entered his stance."Besides these guys came here for a fight. I intend to give them one. Tiger gauntlet!" Silver bracelets appeared around Cat's wrists and ankles, the cheetah charged forwards and swung down at the fox, who just barely got out of the way, before hopping away. This continued for a while, Zora once again ducking and weaving, Cat continuing his merciless assault. Zora was doing paw seals again, though significantly slower, neither species was built for endurance. He finished, his tails stiffened and he then turned around his tails blocked Cat's swing with ease. They were stiff as boards, and with little movement Zora was able to block all of Cat's empowered attacks. He then swung low and tripped the cheetah. Zora then landed his own punch or rather tried to, but Cat managed to catch the blow and threw Zora away from him. Cat charged, picking up the kitsune's ninjite. He swung down with it, but Zora's tails blocked dutifully, knocking the weapon out of Cat's paws. Cat landed a kick to his chin, just as Zora kicked him back. The two were flung away from each other.

Both got up but neither bothered with seals. They ran headlong into one another. Both swung.

 _"This is it!"_

Cat's fist connected a fraction of a second earlier, and knocked Zora and his attack off course. Zora landed on the sand, knocked out.

 _"Winner Cat!"_

Cat landed on his knees, before rolling onto his back as medics came with stretchers for him and Zora. He had won...by a short margin, if Zora had been any older than maybe the outcome of the fight would have been different. He collapsed.

"Thank you Mr Shuimian!" Ai and Xiao Bao chanted while chewing a pair of fat dumplings on sticks. It was succulent and dripping with honey.

Alpha growled."I bought them!"

"Because Chang made you!" Ai snapped back.

"Your friend came close." Misty said to Pulsar almost consolingly.

Pulsar frowned."That wasn't exactly a fair fight. Zora's leg was injured. But I concede, Cat won."

"Your friend is very good for his age." Misty added.

"He's not my friend." Pulsar said, almost coldly.

Kuufu was still rubbing himself below the waist. "I really need to learn that technique."

Lee looked annoyed, he had been rooting for the kitsune. Still at least he hadn't put money on it.

 _"Well that was a close match! It really could have gone either way in the end, couldn't it?"_

 _"Yes indeed, but this match goes to the more experienced speedster."_

 _"Now for our next match!"_

 _"Alpha vs"-_

Lee looked knowingly at the pair.

Viccori was looking at the wolf threateningly, like he was dead meat.

Chang Shuimian looked similarly eager to beat up the wolf.

Badr readied himself. If he could beat anyone, it was Alpha.

* * *

"I've always wanted to be a painter, something about art is just really captivating, you know? I like blending colours, blue is my favorite colour, what about you?"

"I like red. It's neat."

Han almost said 'I like you', but the thought made him go pink around the cheeks.

"What's the blushing for?"she asked, pinching him on the ear.

He tried to think of an excuse when the door flew open.

Mrs Tamod frowned. "You don't have dancing lessons. Come on Saphire, you can talk to him later. You'll like the next match."

Saphire kissed Han on the forehead and made him go her favorite shade of red.

"See you Han." She called back after her.

* * *

 _Footnote: Did I put that author's note up there to make it look like Cat would get eliminated, yes, yes I did!_

 _I'm proud of this fight, it was a lot of fun. Originally it was going to be Cat vs Zhanshi and Zora was meant to fight Mr Wo, however once I got Cat's moveset from Supreme Demigod Alpha Cat some numbers, I realized that he was incredibly similar to Zora. Both are super fast, both use light or aura and both are really fun to write! So naturally the two had to fight ASAP. And now you may guess who Alpha has to fight, especially since a lot of people would love to pummel him!_

 _And what does Saphire want with Han? And what is Saphire's role in this whole tale?_

 _Enjoy!_


	22. Rabbit and Wolf

_"Lee!"_

The rabbit leapt into the air and whooped with joy. Zhanshi looked annoyed, and Chang looked like he had been robbed of some candy.

Alpha leapt into the arena and entered a stance. Lee withdrew a net and a trident, and entered his own stance.

 _"Show him no mercy!"_

 _"Yeah bunny-boy you've got this!"_

"Beat that wolf blue!" Ai roared.

Qadim sighed. He was getting used to this.

Lee narrowed his eyes."I'm going to teach you the meaning of pain."

Alpha snorted. "I'd like to see you-"

Lee whacked him across the muzzle with the butt of his trident, he used the weapon to pole-vault into the wolf's chest feet first. He threw his net and pulled the wolf's face into his feet. The wolf was dazed already, but Lee showed no mercy and swung at the back of the wolf's feet. Alpha fell hard on his back, and Lee brought the trident hard on his chest. The wolf then received two quick-kicks to the nose, before Lee slammed the flat of the blades on his forehead. The rabbit hopped off his opponent and watched as Alpha got up, slowly.

By now the wolf had several foot-shaped purple bruises over his face. The wolf glared at the bunny.

 _"So far Alpha is-"_

 _"Predictably"_

 _"Getting his ass whooped!"_

Alpha narrowed his eyes at the bunny, before pulling an elastic band out of his pocket and swallowing it.

Lee looked at him oddly, but didn't waste time talking.

The rabbit dived, trident-first. Alpha's body twisted away from the blade, before his paw shot towards Lee's face.

"How the hell did he reach him!?" Ai exclaimed.

Chang frowned. "He can stretch his limbs...apparently."

Lee was quick to adapt to the situation, and threw his net around the wolf's face, before pulling Alpha down to meet a flurry of powerful kicks to the face. Alpha also received a long gash on his cheek as the rabbit swung his trident into the wolf's face. But the wolf was quick to reply, and sent forth two quick punches to the side of the face. Lee rolled out of the way, stabbing forwards with the trident. Alpha's belly contorted away from the trident, before the wolf pulled himself away from the rabbit.

Alpha removed a rock from his pocket and swallowed the whole thing. Then his skin began rolling, until it seemed to be made out of boulders.

Chang frowned." I don't have an explanation for that... ability."

Viccori looked at him dissaprovingly, as if the answer was obvious. "He swallowed an elastic band and gained the ability to stretch. Now he swallowed a rock and his body looks like it's made of boulders, clearly anything he swallows he gains the properties of."

"You caught on fast." Kuufu complimented the porcupine.

The wolf swung now with a fist made of stone, Lee dodged to the side, but the fist came at him again from, behind? The wolf knocked the rabbit into the air, before catching him in his waiting fist. By now Lee had lost his net and trident. The wolf pulled his arm back to regular size, before squeezing hard.

Lee felt pressure surround his body. he was getting crushed. Alpha laughed as the rabbit found no way to escape.

"I am gonna break every bone in your body!" Alpha roared, before extending his stone arm, and smashing the rabbit's face into the dirt.

 _"Ouch that has gotta hurt!"_

Ai's eyes widened in terror... this wolf was a monster.

Alpha brought the rabbit down again, and again and then hurled the bunny into the barrier, forming yet another crater.

 _"Do you sue the competitors for collateral damage?"_

Alpha's fist crashed into Lee's gut, and brought blood up to the rabbit's mouth. Lee fell to his knees, coughing blood. Alpha approached slowly, with purpose. There was an odd popping and then Lee was staring into the wolf's wide open maw.

"There's a reason I skipped breakfast!" Alpha mocked, lifting him effortlessly into the air, and lowering the rabbit into his impending doom.

"Is he going to eat him!?" Ai asked, shocked.

"He should withdraw." Xiao Bao squealed.

Then Lee spat. The shot was pretty good and got the wolf right in the eye. Alpha howled with rage, trying and failing to wipe his eyes free of the spit. Lee landed on the ground and got him on the crotch, before pushing the wolf into a hole in the earth, shaped oddly like a cheetah. Alpha landed, and tried to get up immediately. Regrettably his derrier seemed stuck, and he was unable to do anything as Lee swung the butt of his now retrieved trident into his opponent's face. Lee then kicked him hard on the nose.

"He's an idiot!" Viccori roared. "How did he get himself stuck if he can stretch and squeeze any part of his body?!"

"Well, he is an idiot..." Qian trailed off.

Kuufu glared back at Viccori. "Listen braniac I don't know what you do, but Alpha's technique has infinite possibilities, he has spent time gathering new and original ways to use the technique, why would he even attempt to master them all?"

"So that he can actually be a competent fighter! He beat a child, that's nothing to brag about! If I get the chance I will obliterate him, you hear me!"

The duo glared at each other, until Zhanshi gave Kuufu a warning look and the fox backed off.

Lee landed a right hook to the face, swung his trident's shaft into the wolf's gut and landed a double kick that sent the wolf into the cheetah-shaped crater. He then brought the blades of his Trident down into the pit.

 _"Well Alpha got alphucked!"_

 _"Predictably the winner of this round is-"_

Before A'waan could finish his sentence the sand around Lee shot up, high into the air. To the rabbit's horror it all came crashing towards him. There was no place to dodge, Lee was flattened.

 _"Ouch that has gotta hurt!"_

Tianqi frowned, this was rather unimpressive. The rabbit was better at Kung Fu, but Alpha had a seemingly unbeatable cheat code. It was dull and repetitive. Lee started winning due to Alpha's idiocy, Alpha ate something and then the tides turned. Then Lee would outsmart him a bit more and so on.

A massive paw of sand picked Lee up tenderly, before throwing the rabbit high into the air. The bunny was met with another paw, which smacked him into a waiting tail, which sent him flying into a foot.

It became a game of Ping-Pong and Lee was the ball, getting smacked all over by one wall of sand after another.

"He should give up." Pula said dully, it was true though, at that rate the rabbit would end up a ball of mush.

Misty looked appalled."Does this tournament have any rules? Surely by now they must have noticed that there's nothing he can do!"

"Well, judging from what I've seen they're probably expecting another turn around." Jian said wisely.

With a final smack Lee was sent flying face forwards into the sand.

"I WITHDRAW!" The rabbit shouted in a panic, the grossly enlarged limbs of Alpha came in crashing after him, and for a while the arena was filled with coughing as people tried to bat away the sand that seemed to now be everywhere.

By the time the sand had cleared there stood only one figure. Alpha had resumed his normal form, though the belly was now grossly bloated. He belched loudly and patted his stomach.

"Let him out you ugly cannibal!" Ai shrieked, throwing her sticky-dumpling stick at him. Many of the audience (especially those that had bet on Lee) responded similarly, and hurled objects at the wolf.

"What's the big idea! I won fair and square! Why didn't you boo at the cat and Cat, eh? They did just as much damage as me!"

 _"You overkilled dude!"_

 _"Yeah the rabbit already withdrew!"_

Then they added to the booing.

 _"Boooooooo!"_

 _"BOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

"Shut up! I'll let the bunny out then!" Muttering cruelly his stomach split open at the middle, and out tumbled the dazed form of Lee. The stomach re-sealed itself as Alpha walked back to the stands, still muttering. Lee was taken away on a stretcher, though he was barely moving, and seemed to be struggling with drawing in breath.

Alpha took his seat. "Well, who wants to fight me now?!" He challenged.

Chang shot his wing into the air. Viccori barked 'me'. Misty looked ready to tear him limb from limb. Badr however was forced into silence. Lee had been a better fighter than him, but Alpha had shredded the rabbit. Still, there was Viccori, Mr Wo and his creepy eye, the scarred ferret, the archer with yellow flowers... Badr only seemed to realize now how absurdly in over his head he was... he had nothing, upon lopking back his best match was probably against Lee.

 _"Now for the penultimate match of today!"_

 _"Zhanshi vs Kuufu!"_

Zhanshi, entered the arena wordlessly. Kuufu as well, though the fox was staring right at Viccori.

"I am going to kill your girlfriend!" He called out, mockingly.

"Give him hell Zhanshi!" Viccori replied, not even giving the fox the benefit of a glance.

* * *

 _Footnote: A shorter match this time. Alpha is dislikeable, he's stupid, and he has about zero people backing him, but he can fight. His fighting style is somewhat hard to write however, not a very normal power, ya know. But that's more fun! As for Lee, well he tried his best against someone that hopelessly outclassed him. But it's not quite the end of his tale! VoreLover360 will probably be posting a much lewder version of the fight some time nowadays._

 _As for Zhanshi vs Kuufu, well let's see what they got!_

 _Regrettably though I won't have internet for a lpng qhile now, so you'll have to wait for that battle._


	23. Kuufu vs Zhanshi

Kuufu dived forwards, claws outstretched, and slashed at the badger's cheek. Zhanshi didn't dodge per se, she had also dived him and as a result his swing had missed her completely. She got him hard in the gut, before throwing a vicious uppercut at the large vulpine's chin. The blow sent him reeling backwards, but she gave him no respite and followed up with a slash to the chest. Three gashes appeared on his chest, each drawing blood. Kuufu retaliated with a swing that caught her on the cheek, and added another punch, this one in her gut. Zhanshi pulled back, winded, but Kuufu was onto her. He snatched her by the throat and slammed her into the ground. He stood over her, looking smug.

"Are you ready to-"

Zhanshi bit into the paw holding her, Kuufu yelped in pain and as an addition was kicked in the groin.

 _"Are there no rules in this thing?"_

 _"Yeah! I swear you're not meant to hit bellow the belt."_

 _"What if you're not wearing a belt?"_

 _"Then your pants fall off, a-DUH!"_

Viccori watched the fight intently. So far Kuufu had done her no real harm, he was confident in his companions victory.

Alpha must have noted the look on his face and spoke. "Don't underestimate what Kuufu can do to someone. I'm surprised your girlfriend isn't already dead."

Viccori and him had another glaring match.

"Your girl's not here to punch me this time! I could do this all-" Viccori himself punched him.

"Firstly, I never underestimate anyone. Secondly, so far Kuufu has been hit more than Zhanshi, and is bleeding. Zhanshi is not bleeding in case you're blind."

"She will be." Alpha muttered darkly, only to receive another punch.

Zhanshi did indeed seem to have a clear advantage. She had cut the fox a few more times, and had floored him thrice already. Every time he seemed to gain the advantage he would try and mock either her or Viccori, and she tolerated neither. Presently, she flipped Kuufu onto his back, bringing both fists down into his gut in a clumsy, but effective punch.

"She's not too good at any martial art, is she?" Chang asked Viccori, careful that his tone did not offend the porcupine.

Viccori looked at him for a while, taking in the stork, his hat and his bandages. There seemed nothing worrying about him, but he had already proved himself sharp of mind. Still there was no harm in confirming a fact.

"She doesn't use Kung Fu, that's true. But that doesn't mean she can't fight." Viccori answered, still taking in the stork and analyzing his reaction.

"I can see that." He said after a short pause, wherein Zhanshi hurled Kuufu into the barrier.

 _"Well what if I used a rope instead of a belt?"_

 _"Then you can't hit below the waist, simple as."_

 _"But snakes don't have wastes. And birds don't either."_

 _"So don't hit them!"_

 _"But I wanna-"_

"Are your children getting payed to discuss pants while two people fight it out below them?" Yue found herself asking, bored by Kuufu's repetitive pattern of gaining and loosing an advantage quicker than 'noodle' could be said.

"Well… They are meant to comment on the fight itself." Qadim remarked.

 _"But they don't wear underwear!"_

 _"Then tell them to!"_

Zhanshi slashed open Kuufu's cheek, before giving him a hard shove into the sand, and hopping into the air to land, elbow-first, on the fox's nose. Kuufu gave another yowl of pain before flipping Zhanshi onto her back, and slamming a fist into the sand she had rolled away from seconds before. Zhanshi then got to her feet, before bull-rushing Kuufu into the barrier. The fox landed hard and recieved a headbutt that knocked his own head back into the wall. His ears ringing, his head sore he got two more slams as Zhanshi pulled and pushed him into a wall.

 _"Well, it's fair to say that Kuufu's getting Kuufucked!"_

 _"Where have I heard that before?"_

Ai was enlivened by the badger's success. "Woohoo! Go girl power!"

Duyao, Misty and Yue couldn't help the involuntary twitch of their mouths.

Zhanshi continued to further pummel her opponent, and after further battering him flung him across the sand. Kuufu rolled, and got up, looking livid.

"What do you think of his approach?" Miss Kitty asked of Stones, both still shrouded within their hoods.

"He's loosing to a gal. Path-e-tic. Not worth extracting or recruiting in my opinion!"

Miss Kitty nodded. "I liked the rabbit. With a bit of a boost he could be a useful member."

"The wolf's better. He already has a unique ability. All he needs is to learn how to use it. Far simpler."

Miss Kitty sighed. "I doubt we'll get a shot at either. But I say we extract him, and give Fang Zhi his ability. With a brain like his he could really be useful."

Viccori watched with tremendous satisfaction as Zhanshi landed, elbow-first, on Kuufu's gut.

 _"Kuufu, you might as well give up!"_

 _"Yeah, but there's no fun in surrender."_

Kuufu crawled away from Zhanshi, only for her to snatch his tail and hurl him into the barrier.

Kuufu got up, reached into the front of his pants and withdrew a large, thick, metal rod.

 _"Where the hell were you keeping that?!"_

Zhanshi pulled on two, fingerless iron gauntlets, with spiked knuckles.

 _"The gloves are coming on people!"_

Kuufu charged, and swung the pole. Like in the start of their fight Zhanshi dove in, and her spiked knuckles tore through his unprotected fat. He howled with pain, and only just avoided a vicious uppercut that could have ended him. She swung into his cheek, and sliced open his skin once more, before kicking the rod away. Kuufu knocked her off balance and rolled away, rising to his feet slowly.

Zhanshi was unhurt. Her fur was in dissaray, but that was expectable. Kuufu was bleeding all over. The fox, however grinned wickedly, and lapped at his blood.

A change came over him. His eyes were less focused, he was snarling, not grinning. He fell on all fours, his hackles raised, looking more like a wild animal.

Viccori had spotted the signs, the drinking of his own blood was the final clue he needed. He had heard of the technique, he had a lot of time to research this stuff after all. It was called Blood Diamond and was extremely rare, being passed down only by blood. It was meant to have gone extinct some two hundred years ago, or at least no records had been found of it dated for the last two hundred years. It was meant to enhance speed, agility and strength, while awakening every animal instinct within the user. It wasn't permeneant though, and once it had exhausted itself it would leave the user exhausted. But would Zhanshi be strong enough to last that much longer? Maybe with a little help… Especially considering there were no rules.

"Zhanshi, catch!" He hurled a phial at her, she caught it in an outstretched paw and smiled.

 _"Is that allowed?"_

 _"Well it's still a one on one, and you are allowed any weapons and abilities."_

Zhanshi drank the potion and threw the phial away. The honey badger didn't wait, and charged the snarling fox, swinging down at him with her knuckles. The animal was still slow on dodging, but replied by closing it's jaws on Zhanshi's apparently impenetrable arm.

"What!? He should be shredding her!" Alpha gasped, surprise clear in his voice.

"What did you think the potion was for?" Viccori asked coolly.

"Well a bit of sake never hurts does it?" Alpha snapped.

Viccori hesitated for too long, before replying with a 'sure'.

Alpha narrowed his eyes at the porcupine, an idea forming.

Zhanshi was battering Kuufu. The first failed bite had made him loose all confidence and Zhanshi had pummeled him further and further.

Alpha was glaring at Viccori. "Kuufu would have won that! If it weren't for you!"

Viccori gazed at Alpha like he was nothing. "Did you say something?"

Alpha howled with rage, before getting an idea. "You lied, when you said sake never hurt anyone. I bet you're allergic to it. DIE FIEND!" Alpha withdrew a bottle of sake from seemingly nowhere, and dropped it into the arena.

Zhanshi would have won, had the potion not worn off at that moment, and had she not leapt away from Kuufu as the fox snapped it's jaws over thin air.

Instead she tripped over the bottle and fell on her rump. No harm was done… Until she saw the bottle. A sense of something as hot as magma pouring down her throat filled her, and she clutched desperately at her neck, tears welled up in her eyes as a dozen horrible memories came to mind. She couldn't… She had to get away from that thing… She couldn't go back to what she had been. Then Kuufu's sharp teeth tore into her stomach and all she knew was pain. She could see both her blood pouring out around her, and a young honey badger, holding herself in the corner, some kind of alchohol sitting nearby.

Viccori tried to get to her before Kuufu could, but Alpha had pulled him back. Chang Shuimian had acted quickly and stunned the wolf with a shock of lightning. Viccori was a moment too late and landed on the sand just as Kuufu tore into her. The porcupine had not felt so much anger in a long time. He lifted the bottle of sake and slammed it into the fox's skull, chasing him away. He then sent Kuufu flying away with a kick to the chin. Then Viccori had eyes for noone else, save and except for Zhanshi. Her wound was not serious, but the bottle of sake had brought up old scars. He sat down next to her, and gently cradled her head. "There, there" he said stroking her calmingly. "I'm here for you. It's okay."

 _"Aw…."_

 _"Don't ruin the moment!"_

Zhanshi let her tears run down Viccori's back as the porcupine brought her into a hug. "You did great. You were amazing. I'm very proud of you."

The tender scene was cut short when Kuufu's shadow reached them. "Winner, Kuufu." He said dryly.

 _"Fuck you!"_

 _"You killed it!"_

 _"It was so beautiful!"_

Viccori looked ready to kill him. "You are going to suffer." The porcupine promised.

Kuufu shrugged. "Not my fault your girl's useless-"

Viccori would have torn the fox fur by fur, had Mr Wo not stepped between them.

"Since when did you and Alpha get along?" Came Mr Wo's voice. "You were always bickering at first, but in the last two matches you were both rooting for the other. Odd."

"Like you then. I will defeat Alpha. I want to fight him, and he wants to fight me. The tournament lets us find a winner easily, now that we are both still in the running it is likely I may face him. Therefore we root for each other. You can take your suspicions somewhere else."

Mr Wo glared. "Leave him be, porcupine. I may yet be the one to fight him."

As the medics took Zhanshi away, and bandaged the bleeding fox, Viccori made his way back to the stands, followed by Mr Wo. Chang Shuimian had given Alpha spiky fur that stood out on end, but Viccori could not laugh, he only glared at the wolf and hoped he died a miserable death.

* * *

 _Footnote: And Alpha and Kuufu take Zhanshi outta the game. Again Vorelover will probably post the lewd version of this fight soon._

 _Originally Kuufu fought with his... Manly parts. Not wanting to highlight this, or well... Write it, I changed it and gave him Blood Diamond, a Bloodline Technique that belongs to me. We may still see his cocky nature (well yes it is a pun), however._

 _Anyways this is not the end of Zhanshi. I mean we still need to know WHY she reacted to sake like that. Anyways enjoy!_


	24. Misty Vs Jian

_"Well, it's time for our final match of today!"_

 _"Jian Vs Misty!"_

Jian eyed the otter wearily as he scrambled down into the arena. Misty looked down at him. She was excited, she could show the crowd what she was capable of.

"Come on Jian! Do her in, you got this!"

 _"Fight!"_

Jian immediately sent a dart rushing towards her. The otter dodged it, and began forming her paw seals. Jian felt the sand beneath him turn to water, and slipped in.

"What the-" Qian exclaimed.

Jian had sunk into the water, which now lay with the rough size of a pond.

 _"Where did he go?"_

 _"Did she make him disappear?"_

Somehow a dart flew from behind Misty. The otter summoned a plate of ice in front of her, letting the dart crash into it harmlessly.

Qian giggled from his seat, raising Tianqi's eyebrows. "What's so funny, ferret?"

"You'll see!"

 _"Well folks, this is why you don't play hide and seek with a ferret!"_

 _"Yeah, and why you don't try and drown someone who can swim!"_

Misty blocked another dart with a wall of ice, this wasn't as easy as she'd hoped.

The dart flew out from the sand again, the otter just barely dodging it. This was proving troublesome. She lifted the water of the pond, but found no ferret within. Another dart flew out of thin air, this one got Misty on the shoulder. She ignored it, and tried to see where it was coming from.

She suddenly felt dizzy, and fell to her knees, the world spinning around her.

Jian emerged from the sand, and released two more darts for good measure. Misty blocked the incoming projectiles, and pulled out the dart on her shoulder, before drizzling some glittering water over the small wound it had left.

"How did he get there?" Tianqi asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

"He took advantage of the terrain, like Lee did. Alpha didn't get rid of all the craters Cat and Zora made, he hid them. Misty's pond opened up the craters, and from them he shot his darts." Qian explained looking proud of his brother's tactical outplay and his own analysis of it.

"What about air?" Tianqi asked.

"Most likely he used his blow-pipe to take in air from underneath the sand." Qian replied.

Misty stayed on her knees, Jian approached warily, holding a herb in his paw.

"If left untreated, the poison can lead to death. It will target your brain. You have a few seconds before you loose consciousness, so I'll make this quick. Withdraw and I give you the antidote."

 _"Interesting bargain!"_

 _"Will she accept?"_

"Save it for later, you'll need it." Misty said darkly.

Jian readied his blow-pipe. "Your funera-", before he could finish he was hoisted into the air by the claws of a large, transparent dragon. Instinctively he shot at his assailant, but the dart merely splashed through the whole thing.

"Water Style: Art of the Painful Waterslide!"

The dragon swallowed Jian. This would have been more frightening if he couldn't see through the whole thing.

Qian looked worried however, as his brother received the beating of a lifetime.

The technique was as Misty had said, a waterslide of pain. Jian slipped through the water that was the dragon's gullet, the water around him popping out and forming bars of ice, which his head ended up repeatedly slamming against as he tumbled forwards. Then there was the stomach, which was boiling hot water. Jian yelped in pain as he slipped through it, before tumbling down the ice cold intestinal tract, his head receiving numerous fat, purple bruises as it was repeatedly pummeled against one bar of ice after another. Then the most humiliating part came, where the dragon of water figuratively shat him out.

 _"There ya go, a first class demonstration of dragon biology!"_

 _"You should be grateful! Most people never get that kind of firsthand experience!"_

Jian landed hard in the sand, and was promptly pinned by claws of ice Misty had summoned out of the sand. His arms were pinned to his side, and the pressure was slowly getting to him, or rather his lungs.

Qian looked incredibly frightened by the development, and was chewing his claws like there was no tomorrow.

"She has great control over water… And can manipulate it's temperature effectively… But her chi's not like anything I've seen before." Chang looked to Mr Wo for help. "Do you think she's a-" He noticed the look on the lynx's face and stopped abruptly.

"Let go of me!" Jian exclaimed, unable to even wriggle freely.

"Only after you withdraw!" Misty replied, giving him an infuriating smile.

Jian was stubborn enough to continue trying, but smart enough to see that he was getting nowhere. He needed some kind of leverage…

"Look, you and I both know I can silence you much more effectively. I could drown you, boil you, freeze you, but I'm giving you the chance to withdraw while still in one piece!"

Jian snarled and tried again.

Misty signed. Some people never give up... Misty then made a motion with her paw, the dragon of water picked up a small dart, and a herb.

Qian panicked, his brother's poison was fatal under some circumstances! "Jian withdraw! Withdraw!"

But it was too late, the dart plunged into Jian's unprotected backside, and buried itself there. The ferret snarled in pain, the water dragon was holding the herb juuuuust out of reach of his nose.

"Judging from how quickly the poison takes effect you have about twenty seconds to accept my proposal. If not then I won't go easy on you!"

Jian sighed. "Gimme the Blackweed!" He snarled in almost the same second.

"What's the magic woooooord?" Misty cooed, sounding as if she was enjoying his plight.

"Please!" He snarled in a voice burning with shame and fury.

The water dragon promptly thrust the putrid herb down his throat. It tasted incredibly fowl, and no sooner had he swallowed then he gagged. "I didn't need all of it!" He growled, retching almost violently.

Misty giggled. "Sorry!" She said, sounding very… not sorry.

 _"Well I guess that concludes the first task!"_

 _"First half of the second task actually. So far we have the Red Rogue"_

 _"Cat!"_

 _"Alpha!"_

 _"Kuufu!"_

 _"Aaaaand Misty!"_

 _"Now we'll give y'all the first fight of tomorrow, coz we love cliffhangers, now don't we!"_

Misty made her way back to the other competitors, while the green and weak Jian was taken away on a stretcher.

Qian looked worried and livid, staring at the otter with repulsion, and an inkling of fear…

 _"The next fight, Qian"._

Qian perked up, so it was his turn next then?

 _"Vs Badr Ajam!"_

Badr looked startled and stared at his opponent, who waved at him, grinning like a maniac. He was small though, and not particularly muscular. Badr was somewhat glad it was the ferret and not say Viccori. He almost grinned back, but then the competitors had to leave and Ai and Xiao Bao were hugging him and wishing him luck, and Qadim had nodded weakly, his face pale. Then he had shaken himself free of his sisters and joined the other competitors as they left.

The Red Rogue was still nowhere to be seen. Han, Zora, Cat, Lee, Zhanshi and now Jian had also been taken to the hospital. Cat joined them halfway back to the palace, and looked disappointed he hadn't seen the matches. Misty had congratulated him on his narrow victory, and he had been overjoyed to hear she had won without much of a challenge. Pula had slept through pretty much the entire tourney, and was now yawning as he slowly walked to the palace. Kuufu and Alpha were arguing heatedly about Han's match. Chang and Mr Wo were both chatting about who they had left to fight. Tianqi stayed away from the crowd. Yue was serious and silent. Duyao was fifty feet ahead of everyone. Qian looked almost lonely without his twin besides him, like half of him was missing.

Out of boredom Badr approached the ferret. "Hey." He said plainly.

"Hi." Qian replied suspiciously. "Aren't we fighting tomorrow?"

Badr shrugged. "I thought I'd get a measure of you." He said, trying to sound like he fought all the time.

"Aha." Qian said, still looking him up and down. "Why did a guy like you enter a Kung Fu tournament?"

"Well I-er." Badr sighed. "It's an easy way to get rich quick."

"Money? That's so old."

"Yeah well this is enough money to give my family a proper home, and decent meals without us working our butts off." Badr retorted, regretting starting the conversation.

Qian eyed him curiously, before shrugging. "I need to check on my twin. I guess I'll see you tomorrow!" And with that he scampered off.

The sun had set by the time the competitors had arrived at the palace. The first day of the second task was over... Badr only hoped he could beat Qian.

* * *

 _Footnote: And I just wanted to finish this mini-arc before contimuing with Journey to Japan and The Feral Islands._

 _Originally Jian and Qian were meant to fight each other, but that meant that either Viccori, Duyao or Misty were gonna fight Badr... But seeing as its already established that he **** I had to change it up a bit._

 _Update soon!_


	25. Nightfall

"What do you mean I'm not allowed to see him?!" Qian exclaimed, glaring daggers at Mrs Tamod, who was guarding the doors to the Hospital Wing.

"It's against the rules! And you are all still suspects of murder! You will obey me or face disqualification at it's finest! Now leave." The cat ordered,the ferret obeyed sulkily, muttering under his breath.

* * *

Jian lay in extreme discomfort. His joints ached and he still had the vile taste in his mouth. But he was better off then the rest of the hospital wing. Lee was still out cold, his whole body limp. Zora was groaning in pain,and trying to roll over into a semi-comfortable position. Han was nowhere to be seen. Zhanshi was sleeping peacefully, her stomach bandaged profusely. He closed his own eyes, and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

"Well, Qian doesn't look too strong." A'waan was saying.

"Yeah! I bet Badr can beat him!" Ai said enthusiastically.

"Is that really a good thing, though?" Came Xiao Bao's voice. "I mean I'm still rooting for him, but if he wins he'll have to fight the others,won't he? And so far we have some guy who broke Han's arm, a superfast cat with weird light techniques, a wolf that can basically do anything,a guy who goes feral and an otter who controls water… I mean Badr's not really a…fighter?"

This brought silence to the cats, who stared from one to the other with worry.

"He'll be alright. So far, noone's died, and we can check on Han some time tomorrow. They'll both be fine." Came Qadim's voice.

Ai remembered something her father had said during Han's fight, but didn't bring it up. It wasn't her business to know.

* * *

Han had spent the rest of the afternoon potting and watering Saphire's flowers, his cheeks still turned red at the memory of her visit. But something was off about it all,why had she come? Because she's kind. Han thought, watching the flowers. Then he heard the creak of a floorboard from somewhere outside. He lowered his ears and heard a very familiar sound.

"Shuttup Kicks! You'll give us away!" Han heard the hissed whisper. He launched himself under the bed just as the door opened.

Kicks strolled in, the large skunk stomping the ground. He was followed in by a short fox, holding a massive great sword in his paws. He wore no shirt and a pair of bandoilers. His pants, like Kicks were stitched with the patterns of the Kingswood, a gold crown on a black background.

"He's not here!" Chopper the fox growled impatiently.

Kicks sniffed the air. He would have caught Han's scent had the flowers not been positioned right under his nose. "Huh, I can't even smell him…"

Chopper growled. "You idiot! I told you he was in the Hospital Wing." He turned to leave, then spotted Han's axe next to the bed. "Or maybe…"

Han sucked in breath, silently awaiting for him to be discovered. But he wasn't caught just yet.

"He went to take a shit." Chopper chuckled. "He's such a lucky bastard I swear…"

"Well then, we'll just wait for him here." And with that Kicks sat down atop the bed. It creaked loudly in protest to his weight. Chopper curled into a corner.

Han would have gulped… This was not good. He had no way out without revealing himself, and if he did it was two on one and his weapon was out of reach. His escape came, when after twelve minutes of silence Chopper got impatient,and suggested he and Kicks go to the latrines. The door shut and Han scrambled to his feet. He picked up his axe and waited for their footsteps to recede. Han had a few options now. He could warn the other fighters or make a break for it. He chose the former. He just had to get to the dungeons and he would be fine. He had a brief image of Viccori pummeling the Brotherhood, before he opened the door and stepped foot in the dark corridor.

* * *

Qian had not gone to bed. He had travelled a short distance to the kitchens, eaten his fill and then gone to visit his brother. He however, had not gotten so far. He had just turned the corner and sighted two members of the Kingswood.

One was Stones, a large pangolin whose plates gleamed silver beneath a cloak of black with golden stitching that made elaborate crowns. The pangolin had cold,grey eyes, that failed to note the ferret watching them.

The other was Drip, who wore the same cloak, and a white mask with red etchings, behind which were two eyes of crimson.

"Where is that infernal wolverine! Did he just disappear?!" Drip was complaining. A huge figure walked right past Qian. He wore the same cloak and robe as the other two, with large hands as big as woks. He towered over the other two,who were already bigger than most leaopards. He wore two masks, one plastered to the back of his head, the other the front. He wore a curious weapon across his back,it looked like a huge sword, but was strangely rounded and not pointy.

"Any luck Arms?" The one called Drip asked.

"Han is not in the kitchens, though someone was recently in there… And left quite a mess." Qian watched the three. He wasn't scared, but knew it was unwise to go in three on one. And they were after Han and in his way to the Hospital Wing. He turned back and changed direction.

* * *

For Han this was his worst nightmare come to life. The whole Kingswood were here apparently. And all were looking for him. He had spotted the hooded figure of Silence, along with Howler.

Howler was a freak. He was probably a tall cross between a lynx and a fennec fox. His fur was brown and his ears tipped in fur,but had the length of a desert fox to them and his snout was more pointed. He had two teeth sticking out,one pointing upwards, the other downwards. His tail was long and green, and had a mouth at the end of it. His robe of the Kingswood was ripped open at the chest, revealing two mouths beneath.

They had walked straight past him in the darkness, and he had stood rigid still and pretended to be a statue. He continued onwards through the maze of corridors.

Then he walked into Shengwu.

* * *

 _Footnote: Thus ends part one on the introduction to the Kingswood Brotherhood. So far all of them are VoreLover360's OCs._

 _Now VoreLover360 has asked me to point out a few things. The Kingswood Brotherhood is open to all characters from all authors, but its agenda works best with villainous characters. Or characters so dumb they don't know what they're doing! However, this story will only take one more OC for this story and that place is reserved for Mind Jack. But the Kingswood are prominent throughout the Stories of Saras, and will be found in numerous upcoming stories. So if you want an OC in just shoot Mr VoreLover a PM._

 _Aside from that enjoy Qian and Han running around a Palace infested with their enemies._

 _And update soon._


	26. House of Horror

It was hard to say who was more surprised at having found the other. For a moment they simply stood there dumbly, then Han recovered and slammed the crocodile's jaw shut, and headbutting him.

Shengwu was about fifteen,with a massive sword strapped to his back. His scales were dull and grey, and his eyes shone black. He wore a black skirt not covered in tge insignia of the Kingswood. But Han knew him by sight. It was too late.

The wolverine was barged into the wall, where he twisted and slammed Shengwu's head into the darkness. There was the sound of breaking glass and Han heard footsteps approaching, but saw nothing. Han ran down the corridor, Silence appeared behind Shengwu, clad in his cloak, his face hidden, and fired.

It would have been the end of Han had Chopper not opened the latrine door, which caught the bolt just above his head.

"What the hell's the big idea!",The fox roared, but was barged to the side by Shengwu who went after the wolverine.

Han ran maddly, he'd have been on all fours if he wasn't dragging his axe. He tripped and turned a corner, sliding between Zeke's fat legs as the bewildered member raced towards where he had heard the sound.

Zeke was the size of a water buffalo, with thick, fat arms and an even fatter stomach. His cheeks were decorated with a swirl pattern. What he was was anyone's guess however. He kept trying to say he was a 'triceratops' but Han had never heard of such a creature.

Badr was worried. If Qian was as good as Jian he was out for the count. And Jian had lost…he really was way out of his league. He heard footsteps outside,and presuming it was another competitor tried to sleep. Then he heard a sound like a hiss and then a bark.

"No Flame!, We DO NOT kill sleeping competitors. Flame get-back-in-your-jar!"

Badr opened the door a bit as Tianqi gave a loud snore. What he saw was a grey fox, who was missing large chunks of his body here and there was forcing what looked like living, breathing fire into a bright red jar. Badr blinked. Then realization hit him. This was the murderer! He went over to Tianqi and shook him awake. The horse woke up and rolled away.

"Don't touch me in my sleep man!" The horse yawned.

"It's the murderer!" Badr hissed. "Outside!"

Tianqi rolled off his bed, picked up a small sword and crept to the doorway.

Fang Zhi and Live Flame had vanished without a trace.

Tianqi looked annoyed and, grumbling,got back into bed,muttering about the necessity of sleep.

Qian found himself trapped. He was hiding in a flower pot, eaves dropping on two members of the Kingswood. One wore the cloak of black with gold crowns. He had brown fur and looked like a tall dog, but had ears like a mouse and bizzare whiskers. He also wore a necklace of fangs. His name was Rikuaoshi.

The other was a leopard who would have been pretty if not for her unnatural being. Her fur was crackled like glass in many places, as if she was made from it. She sported two earrings and a black chest wrap, along with absurdly long metal claws. She also wore a long skirt that reached her feet,at the end of the fabric were numerous long knives,who's spines scraped against the floor. She didn't seem to have a name though. The mouse-dog called her only 'mistress'.

They were talking in whispers. Then the sound of footsteps left. Qian waited a moment, before scrambling out the flower pot.

He took a turn to the right. It was an empty corridor. He slunk along as quickly and quietly as he could.

Han could feel them looking for him. He took a turn sharply and just managed to avoid Su.

She was a small leopard,pure white with black disks for spots. Her cold eyes could not reach the grin on her face as she caught sight of Han. Her black robes were swept aside as she whipped out a short sword. Han ducked under the blow and punched her across the face, opening up the corridor to a mad sprint. The short sword clanged after him, but missed by several feet.

Everyone in the brotherhood knew he was here now, if he made any loud noises he was as good as dead. His heart hammered him hard and his fur was damp with sweat that was cold. Fear made him keep running down empty halls. If he could make it to the Hospital Wing… it shouldn't be too far.

The doors to the Hospital Wing came into sight as Qian turned a corridor. A large black shape was sprinting towards him. He didn't have time to think. He drew a dagger.

A small black shape had drawn a dagger as it raced towards him. Han swung his axe.

Qian raced along the blade, and scrambled up it's shaft before swinging into his nose. It was only after his attack had connected that he realized who it was.

"Han relax! I'm on your side!" Qian hissed furiously.

Han seemed to recognize him for he went less panicky. He nodded, though seemed incapable of words.

The two opened the doors and entered the Hospital Wing.

A figure with fur like broken glass smirked at them as the doors were shut behind them by the large masked figure that was Arms.

Howler stood over Zhanshi with a blade to her throat. Chopper stood over Lee, Shengwu over Zora and Drip over Jian. All of them were fast asleep, or pretending to be.

"Make any noise, any scuffle and these guys all die. Do I make myself clear?" Miss Kitty wore a triumphant look on her face. Qian bit his lip, his eyes darted to Han, who was shaking like a leaf and was very pale.

Misty rolled onto her back. Sleep was difficult, somehow she couldn't find a comfortable position. The door creaked open as Pulsar snored loudly. Misty narrowed her eyes, something had moved in the darkness. She moved just in time, the gleaming blade glowed silver in the small moonlight and it sliced clean through the bed. Misty sent her opponent flying with a powerful kick. Rising to her feet she caught sight of a small white figure slinking along. She summoned a wall of ice just in time, catching the blade an inch away from her neck. The blade was pulled out and it returned to the shadows. Pulsar snored loudly as something went for Misty's feet. The otter leapt over the first slice and swung mid air, her tail forcing her opponent to step backwards.

Her opponent was a hare, with large feet and long ears that were nearly as long as the rest of her body. Her fur was pure white, with black tips on her ears and tip of her toes. She wore an olive drab brown uwagi with a yellow gold serpent etched on her back and the sleeves ripped off. Her pants and sandals were black and she had a sheath of black leather with a gold embossed snake around it. Her katana had a black leather hilt and a golden image of a snake on it's handle.

The hare ducked back into the shadows, and swung from Misty's other side. It was hard work, catching up with her in the dark, and required full concentration. Misty dodged a swing that had finished off many, and backed into the bed. Another swing flew from the shadows and sliced the bed poles in two, the top bunk slid down and Pulsar flew into the wall.

He yowled in pain, clutching a throbbing nose. The hare did not swing again, and Misty heard the padded footsteps leaving, as well as the other competitors. The first into her room was Cat, who kicked the door off it's hinges, letting it flatten Pulsar as he scanned the room for an assailant.

"They left Cat."Misty said, walking swiftly out the door, Ct on her heels. "They tried to kill me and would have killed the tanuki too. They are armed and dangerous, and she moves fast. Try and locate her, but don't fight her unless you have to, you're still weak after your fight with Zora."

Cat nodded and left at top speed, still wearing pyjamas. Mr Wo, who shared a room with Cat poked his head out. "They're in the hospital wing." He said calmly. "They've got some hostages. They've got blades to Zora, Zhanshi and-"

Viccori's door flew off. "They've got blades to who!?" He looked very different. Sure he had spoken a lot of threats (to Alpha especially) but he had done that with no emotion… Now he looked livid and rather frightening.

"What's all the noise for?!" Alpha snapped, poking his head out to get a good look. He was then barged by Chang Shuimian who had gotten dressed in a hurry, his hat was askew and the bandages around his legs were loose.

"What's the problem?" He asked looking from the infuriated Viccori's back, fast racing away in the direction of the hospital wing, to Misty in a night gown and a shirtless Mr Wo.

"We'll tell you on the way, we should get to the others fast." Misty said, chasing after the others. Yue joined them on the way out, asking Chang Shuimian to explain, the stork shrugged. It was hard for him to move fast in the small, crowded corridor, on his long stiff feet. Pula poked his hed out behind her, but decided against joining them, after all it was midnight and they could take care of themselves. Tianqi, Duyao and Kuufu also joined the crowd. Yue then doubled back to get Pulsar, feeling they would need as much help as they could get. On her way back she spotted Pulsar swearing loudly and holding a bloody nose. She turned into her room and saw Pula lying on the top bunk, his eyes shut, apparently trying to get some sleep. He wasn't the only one in the room however, a fox clutching a vase was standing in the corner, grinning.

Han was shaking like a leaf in a strong wind or a boat at sea. His mouth was trembling and the shaft of his long axe with it's rounded axe-head was slipping in his grip. He looked very much a frightened pup and less like the demon thing he had morphed into.

"Now before we begin, we would rather have no witnesses." She looked at Qian. "If you move everyone here will die-if you stand still then only one has to." From the corner of his eye he could see Zora's paws making seals and Zhanshi surveying the scene with eyes that were practically shut. All of the Kingswood had their eyes on him.

"What do you want with Han?" Qian said boldly.

Miss Kitty smiled. "This should keep you busy." She reached into her skirt and withdrew a small shard of glass smaller than Qian's eye. Qian couldn't move even if he wanted to, he was pinned by some indiscribable force. "Enjoy!" Miss Kitty called, throwing the small shard at Qian. It caught him in the eye and hung there.

Then everything happened very quickly.

* * *

 _Footnote: I was waiting to publish this one!_

 _The hare who fought Misty, belongs to Mind Jack and is the latest adition to the Kingswood._

 _Fang Zhi, Live Flame, Miss Kitty and Su belong to me, originally they weren't part of the Kingswood, but then they morphed kind of, so yeah._

 _The rest all belong to VoreLover360._

 _Enjoy_


	27. A Brief Scuffle

_Qian pounded the mixture with his bare fists, for want of a mortar. He was drenched in cold sweat from head to toe, and was shivering in the dark of the cave. Jian lay on a makeshift bed, moaning in pain, his paws lay tightly over the left side of his face, which was bloody and filthy. Qian could not hope to imagine what would happen if he was doing it wrong. If Jian died because of him. His eyes were watering, and he pounded the mixture with renewed vigour. He turned to look at his brother, his paws shaking as he scooped up the herbs in his paw. The cave's darkness seemed to be swallowing him as he patted it over the hole where Jian's eye had once been. The feeling of panic failed to leave._

* * *

Back in the hospital wing Qian fell to his knees, his whole body shaking as he was forced to relive his worst memory. Miss Kitty approached the frozen Han.

"You did a good thing-not screaming. But I hate wit-"

The Kingswood were each knocked off their feet and pushed backwards by a bright ball of light that suddenly flew around the room, before landing in front of Han, his ninjite drawn. Zora looked at Miss Kitty's stunned face with a very annoying smirk.

Before the feline could reply strong arms had wrapped around her neck and she was pulled into a chokehold by Zhanshi. Zira then charged forwards and landed a kick to her gut with both feet in rapid succession. Zhanshi then flung her out the window. The glass exploded as she fell down with a hollow scream. The others had recovered however. Chopper swung at Zhanshi, who was pushed to the ground by Han,who took the blow on his chest plate before replying with a swing of his axe, Chopper avoided it easily, but not the uppercut Zhanshi gave him. Zora slammed his stiff tails all on Shengwu's crotch, before whacking him across the face. Howler grabbed Qian by the neck and was holding a knife to his neck. "Nobody move! We just want H-"

"Let go of my brother!" Jian roared, pouncing onto his back, his claws dived in through the cloak of the Kingswood and shredded his fur. Zhanshi then swung at him and dealt a vicious blow to his nose, before he was knocked backwards into a bewildered Zeke. Lee let out a loud snore as Zhanshi landed two more blows to his gut,unfortunately in the absence of her iron gauntlets. Shengwu swung at her, but Zora's ninjite parried the greatsword and Han slammed the back of his axe into his chest.

Chopper also swung, but Jian got him this time by biting into the fox's foot. He yelped in pain and promptly fell on his face. Zhanshi continued to pummel Howler like a punching dummy, Zeke unhelpfully refusing to let go of his grip. Then suddenly there was a strong gust of wind and they were all knocked backwards, crashing into the wall and doors in a confusing tangle of people.

Miss Kitty frowned. "You got me by surprise I admit that, but never underestimate an enemy." She placed her claws together. "Broken Mirror." She said softly.

* * *

Flames roared out of the vase, and tore at Yue, who only just managed to roll away. The scarred fox threw an object that looked like a sack at her, which exploded mid air. Yue tumbled out the room with a cry of pain as the flames dived after her. The fox threw another pair of explosives at her. Again she dodged, but this time she retaliated with a shrapnel arrow. It's clay head burst as it touched the flames, but it worked both at giving the fox several gashes on the cheek and waking Pula up from his pretend-sleep with a piece of shrapnel to his butt.

"Do you mind! I am trying to-" He stopped the annoyed shouting when he noticed the flames taking the form of a large thing, with two long tails and a vicious leer. The scarred fox grinned. "Flame, take the girl. I love skunk-"

An arrow exploded in his face, knocking him backwards, the vase tumbling from his grip and rolling along the floor. Pula dived off the bed and landed on the table as the fiery thing turned the bed into a pile of ashes. Then he launched himself off the table with surprising agility as it became the burning thing's new victim. By fluke he landed on Yue, who had been crawling towards the vase.

Unbothered, Yue threw him off, but the vase was no longer an option as Fang Zhi dived her, a large knife in paw. She blocked with her longbow, and was pushed backwards, into a line of fire that barely missed and turned her quiver to ashes with all her arrows. The explosives within some of them sent her flying forwards, and crashing against the wall. Her back felt like a giant had kicked her and Fang Zhi charged with a knife. To her surprise Pula dived the fox halfway there, and knocked the knife from his grip. The two rolled along the floor. Apparently the flaming thing didn't want to hurt the fox, as it made no move on the trio. Pula ended up on top, and headbutted the vulpine, who spat in his face and rolled over to put himself on top. He swung rapidly in quick succession, landing two blows to the skunk's unprotected head.

Yue threw a kick that both knocked Fang Zhi off and caught Pula in between the legs. Fang Zhi landed in the wall, and turned to face her incoming fist. It landed and hit him across the cheek, knocking several white teeth out of his mouth. Yue tried a headbutt, but Fang Zhi slipped away and her face hit the wall. Fang Zhi kicked at the back of her knees, and let her collapse, before turning to face Pula. The skunk looked somewhat embarrassed, but it could have been the light, and he threw a pellet at Fang Zhi which caught him on the nose. It struck him and a moment later it had cracked open. A kind of greenish-grey smoke came out, and it stunk. Fang Zhi slammed his paws over his nose with enough force to give himself a bruise.

Pula seemed unphased but highly embarrassed, and punched the fox across the face.

Yue looked undisturbed by the smell, though she was now breathing through her mouth, and hadn't got a direct hit like the fox, who she grabbed and slammed against the ground, claws at his neck. But before she could get to the pounding, he vanished.

* * *

Viccori kicked hard at the door of the hospital wing. It refused to budge. Frowning he tried again and slammed his shoulder against it. The whole thing shook. He looked seriously annoyed now. Steeling himself he whipped out a potion, and uncorked the phial. He lifted it to his lips, only for the whole thing to get shot out of his hands. Silence stood, cloaked and hooded. For a moment they stared each other down. Then Viccori charged, ducking under another arrow and taking a sip of a potion. Silence's eyes widened, the porcupine had been in front of him a second ago! A fist ploughed into his cheek and knocked him backwards, then the same fist landed hard on his ribs and then the porcupine kicked him on the chin. He was flung backwards, Viccori landing expressionlessly on the floor in front of him. The porcupine withdrew another potion. "I'm busy." He snapped, before drinking the phial and turning to the hospital wing doors. Before he could rip them off their hinges however Tianqi had arrived and threw himself at the doors. He must have weighed more than Viccori as the doors came apart in one blow. Viccori looked seriously triggered now. The horse rubbed a hurt shoulder, before Mr Wo charged in.

* * *

 _Zhanshi whimpered pitifully, as she forced more of the substance down, it burnt her throat cruelly and seemed to eat at her insides like a thousand ants had crawled down. She whimpered again and forced herself to finish-but the bottle would never end, there was always another gulp somewhere within._

 _Zora watched the blood drip from his ninjite, around him lay the lifeless and bloody figures of bandits. His breathing was harsh and forced. He had killed them. He was a monster. The young Zora fell on his knees and cried._

 _Jian remembered little other than a distinct pounding coming from somewhere in the cave and a throbbing pain in his left eye, or rather where it had once been. His face was covered in blood, and everything looked blurred with his other eye. He could hear quick breaths, probably Qian's, and a heart pounding like a drum, he couldn't guess however, whether it was his or Qian's heart._

 _Lee watched his parents die over and over and over again. He watched the frog's escaping back over and over again. He felt utterly and absolutely helpless as the house he had been born in and had known all his life burnt._

Han alone stood there, Miss Kitty's claws were circling the top of his head. He was paralyzed, unable to move for the fear that surrounded him.

She probably would have killed him, had the doors not flown off their hinges at that exact moment. Duyao was the first one in, but Viccori had barged past her and swung for Miss Kitty. The fist landed hard on a cheek. Cracks slipped around her head from the force of the blow, and sent her flying backwards, where she exploded into a thousand shining pieces. The group blinked, and a second later the Kingswood had all vanished. "Where did they-"

"They're gone… All of them." Han replied, stunned.

"They'll be back", Viccori snarled, picking up Zhanshi and placing her on the bed nearest to him with clear dedication and care, stroking her paw as she let out a whimper. "What did they do to her?" He snarled, his body shaking with rage.

"She's reliving her worst memories. Over and over again." Han replied. "You just have to snap them out of it. Like this." He walked over and demonstrated by smacking Zhanshi, Viccori promptly punched him across the muzzle. Soon the hospital wing was alive with the sound of slapping and cries of 'what was that for! or 'why you son of a-'

Just as Pulsar finished smacking Zora for the fourth time Mrs Tamod walked in. She looked at all of them. "Explain. Now."

That was probably the worst time for Pula and Yue to show up, stinking in disarray. Behind them holding their noses were the rest of the competitors. Mrs Tamod looked like she was about to faint. And then from the other side of the hospital wing came in Master Flying Rhino. Then she did faint.

* * *

 _Footnote: And I swear that's the whole cast. Well actually there's a couple more, but they are one scene wonders (thank the lord for that) and yeah, so are the Kingswood really, though they are still important. Enjoy._


	28. Night Ends

Master Flying Rhino looked more of a fighter than anyone else in the room. He had large burly muscles, a thick, grey hide and shining red armour. Despite it weighing at least a tonne the rhino was unphased and crossed the room in a few strides. He was young, and seemed to radiate power. There was a sense of awe around him, like he was something special.

"I heard there was trouble." He said grandly, bowing at the competitors.

Most blinked stupidly or tried to look dignified in their sleeping outfits. Jian glared at him.

"What are you doing here?!" He snapped.

Rhino looked down at the comparatively minute ferret.

"I am heading an investigation regarding the death of Hei Zei de Bahen, former Imperial Ay officer." He stood up grandly. "From what Mrs Tamod tells me, any of you are suspects. I understand you are all under house arrest. An excellent idea. I also understand that the Kingswood Brotherhood are involved."

"They just left." Zora said bitterly.

Rhino looked undisturbed. "They'll return. I'm here to make sure that when they do, they are defeated."The competitors looked to each other, some faces were scandalized, others fearful. "What they want is the key to defeating them. I also believe that two of them are in the tournament, due to the disappearances of two Lee Da Masters on their way here. Keep your eyes peeled, all of you. If you know anything-"

"We know what they're after." Lee said, turning to Han. "It's got something to do with the red thing, doesn't it?"

Rhino raised a paw. "We will discuss this tommorow. You have a tournament to prepare for. Get some rest." And with that Master Flying Rhino left.

* * *

Noone slept well, least of all Han, who had woken Viccori up three times due to nightmares, eventually the porcupine threw him into the hall with his pillow, that only served to wake everyone up the next time he had a bad dream. Zhanshi and Jian were still in the hospital wing.

The sun rose and the competitors did too. Mrs Tamod was brisk and to the point and stressed that they don't let news of the Kingswood get to anyone.

Badr felt particularly glum on his way to the arena. He searched for Qian, but the little ferret must have gone missing. He was nowhere to be found. The crowd cheered as they entered, Han, Lee, Kuufu, Alpha, Zora, Zhanshi, Cat, Misty and Jian, who had already fought sat down, while the remaining ten showed off even more. Badr spotted his family and allowed a weak wave. He noted that the Red Rogue was still not present. He felt so tired. His eyelids were drooping, all he wanted was to sleep.

Then the voice of his brothers came.

 _"Good morning ladies and gentlemen!"_

 _"Are you ready for more epic action?"_

The crowd roared a 'yes', extremely loudly.

 _"I can't hear you!"_

Badr wished they would just get it over with. His heart was pumping, he couldn't beat Qian. He was going to loose. Chang gave him a wink and patted his pocket. Badr felt the pellet there and gulped. It was worth a try at least.

 _"The first match is Badr Ajam-"_

 _"Fuck him up Badr!"_

 _"-Vs Qian!"_

The other competitors filed away into the front row, leaving Badr alone in the arena.

"Where's Qian?" Jian asked, searching his twin out in the crowd.

"He was with us yesterday." Han suggested unhelpfully.

"I can't find him anywhere." Mr Wo said, stunned. "He's not in the arena at least."

"I can't sense him either." Chang Shuimian said dumbly, sharing a worried look with Mr Wo.

"I swear I saw him leave our dorm!" Zora exclaimed, glaring at the sand as if Qian was hidden there.

"He's a small guy, he probably got lost." Alpha snickered.

Jian promptly kicked him. It didn't have much of an effect, until the wolf pointed that out and was kicked again.

 _"Where's Qian?"_

 _"People check under your seats, ferrets are notorious for finding themselves in unexpected places!"_

 _"Hello! Qian!"_

 _"Where is he?"_

Master Flying Rhino strode into the arena, looking grave. He walked to the center.

"Qian is unable to compete further, any friends or family please come forth." Jian hopped into the arena.

"What happened?" He barked, a note of anxiety clear in his voice.

"Come with me." Rhino ordered. "Winner by default." And he pointed at Badr, before he swept away, Jian on his trail.

Badr blinked, stunned. His heart was still hammering-this was ridiculous… He had won? But how? Qian had been fine the last time Badr saw him. Unless… Badr looked uneasily at Chang Shuimian, who was clapping encouragingly as Badr's brothers announced his victory. There was something very strange about that stork.

* * *

"I found him like this, in a pool of blood. Don't know what did it, but I'd bet it's something sharp." He pointed at Qian. The ferret's breathing was harsh and raspy, there was a massive cut along his stomach, dried blood dripped around his fur.

"I'll guess it's the Kingswood. They have a knack for being behind a lot of things."

Jian held his brother's limp paw tightly-he was going to get to the bottom of this, and he would give the culprit a matching wound.

"It shouldn't scar, and it's not fatal-unless someone makes sure to finish him off. I'll leave you in charge of his protection, shall I?"

Jian nodded weakly, getting small relief from the pain of watching Qian in such a state.

Rhino turned to leave, but before he could turned. "I've seen you both before somewhere, I'm sure."

Jian looked at him. "I'd have remembered."

"And I. But your face is familiar." Still pondering Rhino turned and left.

* * *

 _Footnote: Small update, but it helps the story flow better. And who attacked Qian? And why?_

 _I really wish we could have seen Qian fight in the tournament. Originally he was going to fight Lee and win, but then Alpha came along with his kirby powers and Lee was expendable. I was somewhat torn between giving Qian a match with Viccori or Badr or Mr Wo, two of those ones would beat him one on one-not Badr- hence my dilemna. Then I thought of Badr using his *********, but decided against it, seeing as that could end either with his defeat or Qian's digestion-neither of which were plausible. So I decided nothing was wrong with a little murder mystery (don't worry he's not dead)! Should give Jian an excuse to be extra grumpy!_

 _Next up we have the second fight of the second round of the second task! Place your bets!_


	29. Two Scientists of Sorts

_"Okay, second match-"_

 _"Of the second round"_

 _"Of the second task!"_

The two placed their paws into the name drawer and withdrew two names.

 _"Mr WO!"_

 _"Vs Chang Shuimian!"_

The two competitors gave each other startled looks.

 _"Wait! Sorry! It was upside down!"_

 _"How the hell is Nicolo Viccori upside down spelt out as Chang Shuimian?"_

 _"Well I didn't write it now did I?"_

Mr Wo and Viccori both used the stairs to descend into the arena, neither looked at the other. Chang Shuimian blew a sigh of relief, one that Ai noticed.

"Were you scared of fighting your friend, Mr Shuimian?"

The stork gave her a long, scrutinizing look. "Not really. I'd just rather save my good stuff for someone I want to turn into a live pin cushion."

Ai grinned. "Like Alpha?"

The stork returned the grin. "Yes, like Alpha."

"I heard that", the wolf muttered.

Kuufu, Alpha, Cat, and Misty sat on the row above, with one empty seat where the Red Rogue was meant to be at the edge. On the opposite side of the same row sat Han, who looked like he hadn't slept, then there was Lee, Zora and Zhanshi, with an empty seat Jian had discarded. Xiao Bao was at the edge, then in a line it went Qadim, Ai, Chang Shuimian, Badr, two empty seats where Viccori and Wo had been, then there was Pulsar, Yue, Duyao, Tianqi, Pula, who was napping, and another empty seat which had been Qian's.

Mr Wo faced Viccori, his large purple eye fixed on the porcupine. The two couldn't be more different. The tall lynx in his odd purplish clothing and the shorter porcupine with his belts and potions.

 _"Let the second match of the second round of the second ta-"_

 _"FIIIIIIIGHT!"_

It seemed neither had heard the command, as for a while they merely stared at each other.

 _"I said fight!"_

 _"They're waiting for me to finish! As I was saying, let the second-"_

Mr Wo made the first move and a purple beam of light shot out of his eye. Viccori swerved to the side to avoid the attack, which burnt the sand he had been standing on a mere minute ago.

He picked out Witch's Brew and drank the potion down. He closed the gap between him and Mr Wo in seconds, giving the lynx enough time to raise a thin shield of purple stone.

"Did he just make a shit-load of jewels appear from thin air?" Pulsar asked.

"I suppose it's called Eye of Amethyst for a reason." Duyao responded.

The stone slab explpded as Viccori's fist crashed through it, missing Mr Wo by an inch.

 _"Wow! He's really strong!"_

 _"I know right! I bet his fist hurts like hell though."_

The competitors shared somewhat worried looks.

"That's nothing." Alpha tried to bluff, but he sounded only half-convinced in his own words.

"Yeah! Your skull must be thicker." Lee replied with an overly large grin on his face.

Alpha glared at him. "You're lucky to still be alive rabbit! If it wasn't for this crowd you'd be wolf pudge."

Lee grinned and steepled his fingers in an enigmatic voice. "Ah, but you only won by the good will of providence."

Alpha looked like he wanted to retort, but was drawn back to the fight as Viccori continued.

Mr Wo conjured wall after wall of Amethyst, but Viccori was unrelenting. He was slower than at first, which meant the potion had worn off, but he was also smashing through the walls of amethyst like they were chopping boards, and Wo couldn't keep up all the expensive jewelry or he'd loose all his energy. But if he stopped Viccori from moving...

Viccori's fist broke through the thick amethyst rock, but this time found fresh rock pinning his whole arm. He twisted behind the rock as Mr Wo sent another searing beam of purple at him.

Viccori had, apparently let his guard down. That was not really the case. He had heard of the Eye of Amethyst, but never fought someone who possessed one. Naturally curious he had let himself fall into the trap, so as not to end the fight too quickly. He pulled out Anti-Magic, and drunk in the somewhat familiar putrid taste akin to rotting apple. Mr Wo turned the large purple beam of light towards the porcupine as he came round the purple boulder.

Most people would have had a hole through their head by now. The beam hit Viccori, but had no effect on him. It was like something hopelessly weak was pushing into his face. He tore a chunk of the amethyst around his fist, and used it like a shield. The beam obliterated it into at least a hundred pieces, and freed the porcupine's arm, allowing him to keep moving.

 _"It's a very one sided match so far!"_

 _"Viccori's freakish strength is only matched by his bullet-proof hide!"_

 _"Bullet-proof?"_

 _"You know. Mad-bulls. His hide is mad-bull-proof, but saying that isn't as cool as saying 'bullet-proof'._

 _"You invented that word!"_

 _"No I looked it up in a scroll!"_

 _"Liar! You can't read!"_

 _"Yes I c- whatthefuckhowishisskullnotbroken?"_

Viccori had landed an uppercut that caught the lynx unprepared. The blow sent him flying backwards. He felt his mouth clamp down, and was glad his tongue was still whole. Hot red blood filled his mouth and he only just avoided the downwards swing of the porcupine.

Chang Shuimian looked very much like he didn't believe what he was looking at, as if the image itself was utterly ridiculous.

Alpha noticed this and couldn't help smirking slightly. "Have you ever seen your friend loose before?"

Chang frowned. "Never like this." He replied honestly. "But he's putting up more of a fight than you would!" Chang replied, glaring at the wolf.

"Well if Nicolo wanted to he could have finished the fight earlier." Zhanshi called out.

Chang looked at her thoroughly. He wanted very much to say she was being biased… But it really didn't look like she was.

"So this is all the High Priest of the Drops can do? I'm not going to lie Mr Shuimian. I'm very disappointed." Duyao said.

"You know the Drops?" Yue asked with curiousity.

Duyao turned cold suddenly. "We've met."

"What do you mean High Priest?" Pulsar asked. "Are they a religion?"

Duyao frowned, clearly annoyed at the turn of subject. "Of sorts. Though if you want a history lesson, ask the stork."

Mr Wo had given up on the laser beam, and was still standing, trying his hardest to not recieve a deadly blow to the head. He was tempted to withdraw… But Chang Shuimian would never let him hear the end of it...

Viccori now held a ninjite and was slashing with less than usual speed.

"Is he tired already?" Chang asked, a note of hopefullness in his voice.

"No. He's giving the lynx an opportunity to show him the power of the Eye of Amethyst."

 _Okay, she is just really biased… "_ Why would he do that?", the stork asked politely.

Zhanshi shrugged. "Knowledge is a kind of obsession with him. I guess the temptation of seeing a powerful technique like that must have been too great."

"He must feel really disappointed.", Alpha said with a smirk that made his grey-blue face even more detestable.

Viccori must have decided he was bored, as he suddenly went for the lynx's feet with a swipe. Mr Wo fell hard on his back, winded. Viccori then brought a fist down onto his face. It was over as quickly as that.

 _"Winner VICCORI!"_

 _"With brute strength, bullet-proof skin and eyes that are the same size-"_

 _"He beats that creepy, giant purple-eyed dude into the dust!"_

Viccori walked over to Jian's discarded seat, amongst loud cheering, and sat down next to Zhanshi.

"I knew you could do it." She said. Giving him a small hug, which to everyone's surprise he returned.

"Yeah… I'm just waiting for another opponent." He was staring fixedly at Kuufu, who seemed to be deliberately avoiding his gaze.

"I expected better from their High Priest." Duyao muttered. "It's almost as if he was holding back."

"Does it make much of a difference?" Yue found herself asking. "I feel like Zhanshi wasn't exagerting when she said Viccori was just letting the fight go on."

Duyao shrugged. Her theory had struck suspicion though… Why would he be holding back? She watched as Mr Wo's limp form, his muzzle bloody, was carried away on a stretcher. What was his game?

 _"Next match we have..."_

* * *

 _Footnote: Viccori held back but still managed an easy win. Mr Wo isn't really a fighter. While he is arguably better at it than someone like...I don't know. He might actually be my weakest. That said pairing him against Mind Jack's third strongest now seems a little cruel XD._

 _Now three left for this task. Enjoy!_


	30. Two Drops

_"Duyao!"_

 _"Vs Chang Shuimian!"_

Duyao hopped into the arena, landing with grace and smirking as she cracked her knuckles.

Chang Shuimian was also smirking as he stood up and clicked his long neck.

"Good luck Mr Shuimian!" Ai called as he hovered around the arena, before landing in front of Duyao.

Badr watched intensely. Duyao had seemed nice, but this tournament had already proved that appearance meant nothing. And did Shuimian really have anything up his wings? And if so, what?

"It's a pitty Wo can't watch this." Chang snarked. "I wonder who he'd be rooting for. His former protege, or his current one?"

Duyao entered her stance. "You once said I had no right to stay in the Drops temple. That revenge was poor motivation. How's a tournent for motivation?"

"If you think I'm here for the tournament you haven't been paying attention." Chang enteredhis own.

 _"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeegin!"_

Quick as a flash the stork released a pair of throwing knives, which spun as they flew towards Duyao, who had almost immediately punched the ground. The impact of her fist created a miniature shock-wave, which blasted the blades backwards, forcing the avian to deflect his own weapons into the ground. He had no more time to react as Duyao hopped upwards, before teisting mid-air to land on his chest with a stunning double-footed kick.

 _"And they're off! Things get violent pretty quickly and Chang Shuimian's been knocked to the ground already!"_

 _"It's not looking good for him as Duyao tries to get the quickest win!"_

Duyao's fist missed by an inch as he twisted to the side and let her fly past him, her punch putting a dent larger than her body on the poor barrier.

"Oooh this looks bad!" Ai squealed, chewing her claws. Xiao Bao was also looking worried for him. Alpha looked like he wanted nothing more than a total floor-wipe. Lee's eyes were narrowed so deeply he was practically squinting. He was already out of the running. If Duyao was who he thought she was then she had better stay exactly where she was. If she lost the match, then she was free to leave and then his hopes of revenge could go die in a hole.

This fight seemed to be mirroring the previous one. With one competitor just barely avoiding a dangerous blow and the other ploughing forwards with punch after punch. Duyao missed again, but this time Chang Shuimian managed to land a successful kick that sent her rolling away.

Taking several deep breaths he watched as Duyao rose again. She lacked Viccori's endurance and seemed totally out of steam. That was good, it gave him a chance to retaliate.

* * *

 _Duyao sat in a meditative pose, her eyes closed, taking slow deep breaths while murmuring under her breath._

 _"The rabbit… the dog… The frog… The fox… The pig… The rabbit... The dog… The frog… The fox… The pig."_

 _She heard the sweeping of the floors behind her, but continued anyways. The temple gave her food, shelter and peace. Nobody disturbed her here, she could meditate all she wanted._

 _"The rabbit…The dog… The frog... The fox… The pig…"_

 _"What are you saying?" A voice came from behind her, the sweeping had stopped. She jumped slightly and turned, disgruntled, towards the one addressing her, a young stork wearing a pair of long, baggy pants and rice hat, now leaning against the broom he had been using._

 _She would have replied with a 'what's it to you', but suddenly he seemed flustered. "Oh, I'm so so sorry my lady! I didn't want to to disturb you!"_

 _Duyao looked over him. "I haven't seen you before. Are you new?"_

 _"Temple? Yes. Drops? No. My whole family were into this…until well." He hurriedly started sweeping the floors again. "So what about you? I've never seen anyone murmur so much!"_

 _Duyao continued to watch him. "I'm here for revenge." She finally said, before turning her back on him and continuing her meditation._

 _"The rabbit… The dog… The frog…"_

* * *

Chang Shuimian shot a bolt of lightning at the frog, who successfully avoided it, leaving a small, round spot of blackened sand where she had been standing moments before. She hopped backwards again as another bolt flew at her from his outstretched wing.

 _"Do you think we'll ever get a 'normal' match?"_

 _"No. No I do not."_

Duyao was still being forced on the defensive. As soon as she avoided one attack another came for her, and if it wasn't a bolt of lightning it was a shuriken or throwing knife.

"Mr Shuimian's pretty good don't you think, daddy?"

Qadim nodded. "Yes, he's certainly very good."

"Yeah, but I'm better." Alpha said, flexing a muscle.

It was difficult to say who gave him the dirtiest look, even Pula, who was snoring quietly, turned his head in an odd way that looked very much like a rude gesture.

* * *

 _Duyao caught the wooden knives and threw them back at the stork, who deflected them, but couldn't deflect the frog's webbed foot, which sent him flying backwards into a pillar while she landed gracefully._

 _"Uh, that's gonna leave a mark." He said, rising while rubbing the sore bruise on his back._

 _"Good. You can keep it as a reminder to never let your guard down."_

 _"I did not let my guard down! You were just too quick." The stork replied defensively._

 _Duyao rolled her eyes and sat back down in her meditative pose. "The rabbit… The frog…" A wooden knife landed on her head._

 _"You did say not to let your guard down."_

* * *

Duyao hopped behind the remains of an amethyst pillar, a bolt of lightning crashed into it, but failed to penetrate the tough crystalline structure. She heard the stork mutter loudly in annoyance. There was a snap and a long throwing knife, crackling with miniature lightning bolts crashed through the amethyst above her head, drawing large gasps from the audience.

* * *

 _They had soon formed a kind of friendship. Or rather both had an infinite mount of questions about the other._

 _"It's simple." The stork explained, pouring rice wine into two goblets before handing one to Duyao and taking the other for himself. "I make a statement about your past. If I'm correct, you drink, if I'm wrong, I drink."_

 _Duyao frowned. "So the winner is the least drunk person?"_

 _"Or are they the loser?" Chang Shuimian suggested._

 _"Have you ever drunk before?" She asked, staring at her goblet with apprehension._

 _"Nope. But the grownups act like this is the only thing to drink, so we might as well. Right." He rubbed his wings with glee. "You're an orphan and never knew your parents?"_

 _"Drink."_

 _Chang took a sip and swallowed with difficulty. "Right. You were raised by your mother, who was a…hmmm… Tailor."_

 _"Drink again." Duyao said smirking._

 _Chang Shuimian took another sip, looking like the game was not going as he had planned. "You learned martial arts at some point, and practiced in a village club?"_

 _"Guess again?" She was giggling now._

 _"Maybe I should change the rules?" But he drank anyways, and gagged after swallowing. "You grew up in a small village, and lived alone with your dad."_

 _Duyao took a sip and noted the look of relief in Chang Shuimian's face. The wine was putrid-it tasted rotten and left her throat burning. Now she knew why he had gagged._

 _"Right. Your move." He entered a poker face._

 _"Hmmm, you never knew your parents and grew up in an orphanage."_

 _"Drink ahead my lady."_

 _"You went to school and know how to read and write?" She guessed after another taste of the contents of her goblet._

 _Chang Shuimian's face dropped as he stared into his own cup._

 _"You know what this game's gotten a bit boring."_

* * *

Duyao leapt away from the amethyst as Chang Shuimian sent another lightning charged throwing knife at it, scattering the purple gemstones everywhere. She ducked behind another barrier and took a deep breath, a plan forming in her mind's eye. She rolled forwards and dived behind another pillar, lifting it above the sand she sent it flying like a frisbee towards her opponent. Calm and reserved Shuimian sliced the projectile clean in two watching the sides of it fly past him. He didn't see the next projectile until it crashed into his chest and knocked him backwards. The stork tried to rise to his feet, but Duyao's fist hung over his face.

With a small smile he raised a wing. "I withdraw."

Smirking, Duyao helped him up.

"I should have seen the second one coming." Chang muttered to himself.

Duyao, however, heard him. "Don't beat yourself up. That's my job." Together the two walked back to the stands.

"Bad luck Mr Shuimian." Ai said comfortingly. "At least you didn't get beaten up."

Alpha made a coughing noise. But Chang Shuimian ignored him. The stork sighed.

"I will give whoever beats up my roommate their weight in gold."

 _"Right."_

 _"After that abrupt ending…"_

 _"Our penultimate match up! Yue!"_

 _"Vs!"_

* * *

Footnote: A long wait for a short chapter? Well it's a good thing I came up with the whole Drops background, or this wouldn't have even been a fight. Still now I can get back into the swing of writing. Enjoy!

Also decide the next match! Yue vs either Pula, Pulsar or Tianqi!


	31. Pula Vs Yue

_"Puuuuuuula!"_

Yue frowned as she made her way to the arena. Her quiver was heavy with her arrows, and her longbow, as big as her, was already nocked and drawn. She was somewhat disappointed in her first match. It was either him or one of two boys not even fifteen yet, and she had been hoping for the horse. She was hoping to get a shot at Cat, his use of paw seals was easy to see through and she'd like to see him try and speed blitz past her traps. It would have made an interesting match. She waited for her opponent to show up.

As did most of the arena.

 _"I repeat! Yue vs PULA!"_

The last word echoed, and Pula only made his way into the arena after being rudely awakened by Duyao, who had hissed so loudly in his ear it might have split open. He made his way, slowly, to the sands and stood, slouching, facing his opponent. Infuriatingly, he looked bored.

Yet she was not going to underestimate him. She had seen that he was capable of throwing his knives with some accuracy during the First Task. And last night he had also proved himself a competent fighter through the use of his stink bomb… While her nose was not the most sensitive one she knew better than to let him get to her.

 _"Fiiiiiiight!"_

And they did. The cheetah began by loosing her arrow, it sailed over him as Pula ducked just in time, her arrow struck the wooden barrier and stood there quivering from the force, but the first arrow was soon forgotten as Yue made to strike once more and shot out another arrow soon after the first. Pula shot it off course with a throwing knife, before turning to the offensive.

Yue had to do an army roll to avoid the blades, which sunk deep into the sand where she had been moments before. The cheetah was quick on the draw, but Pula didn't have to be, and two more knives were cutting the air as they flew towards her.

She shot anyways, before avoiding both knives, Pula was forced to step to the side as the arrow flew at him, and in that lack of concentration Yue slammed a paw into the sand, before taking the opportunity to draw another arrow, a plan already forming in her mind.

But while the majority of her brain flew around for battle plans, the minority was gripped with wonder. Pula the skunk that had slept through most of the matches, the lazy skunk who cared little about the murder of Hei Zei de Bahen. How was he this good?

The commentators had said something, but Pula did not care. He didn't care about much. The audience were watching, he knew, but he didn't care and Badr's brothers were making jokes that only a few were laughing at. He only had eyes for his roommate and opponent. He noticed her losing her balance and catching herself on the sand as he swerved to avoid her arrow. He sent forth another knife with more force now.

Yue threw her head to the side, the knife missed by an inch as she shot another arrow at him. This one was different in that when it smashed into the ground it's ceramic head burst, and multiple, sharp bits of clay flew in a wide circle. Pula was not fast enough to dodge them all and several sliced into his side.

Yue retreated, throwing a pair of bear traps into the sand around her. The throwing knives didn't have the same range as her bow, so she knew Pula would have to approach eventually, and when he did he would receive a bit of a surprise.

Pula steadied himself. Yue was further away from him than before and had another arrow drawn, but she hadn't fired yet. Pula removed several capsules from his gi, which Yue instantly recognized as his stink-bombs. Before she could even fire he threw three in her direction.

 _"Okay, that's it! I think we've seen literally everything possible here! It's a fart bomb. He is using a fart bomb!"_

 _"Well that's a drastic turn of events! And now the arena is hidden, who will emerge the victor of this battle?!"_

The other competitors were as close to the arena as anyone else, and the strength of the stink had an almost violent effect on them. Alpha was retching violently, Zorori had stuffed two of his tails up his nose, even Viccori wrinkled his nose in disgust. Han though looked annoyed.

"Now we can't see what's happening!"

"Is that really the only thing bothering you?!"

"Well, I don't have a sense of smell, so yes!"

The stench was so foul that Yue's eyes were beginning to water. And the cloud that came with it doubled as an effective smokescreen.

But Pula had not anticipated the traps Yue had put in place. A four foot iron spike, with smaller barbs all over it flew past him and further tore open his left arm. Hissing with pain he removed a pair of throwing knives and spun them around in his paws.

Pula came into view as he emerged from the gas, although her vision was blurred by her watering eyes, Yue swung at him. He ducked the blow and swung. It missed her head, but he had not been aiming for it, and it flew past her head, slicing the rope of her bow.

Yue was stunned. This lazy skunk had just disabled her weapon? She didn't think further and threw the bow to the side, while he brought the other knife down. She swung away from the blow, and twisted, her bare fist caught him on the shoulder and knocked him to the ground. She brought her other fist, guarded by a metal gauntlet from which protruded several long iron barbs. He rolled away as her gauntlet was buried in the sand, and flung his knife at her. The blade caught her on the side of the arm, and gave him enough time to get to his feet.

Yue was in a bad position. Her bow was now useless and she disliked close quarters combat to begin with, now it was her only choice. To make movement easier she threw aside her quiver. Pula had taken more damage, but was more adept than her at fighting in close range, and he could still throw his knives. She put on her other gauntlet.

Pula flung another pair of knives in her direction, she dodged one and tried to block the other, but only received another cut to her arm. She threw herself at him, swinging with her gauntlets,but he kept avoiding them and blocking with his knives. The longer this went on for the more they were gripped with wonder.

Yue had seemed like a bossy loudmouth, quick to anger and quicker to resort to violence.

Pula had seemed like a lazy slacker, quick to sleep and quicker to get bored.

Yet both were more than met the eye, apparently.

Eventually Pula got away from her by forcing the feline to dodge a knife that flew at her leg. Another plan was forming in her head as she threw a pair of bear traps to either side of him, before simultaneously ducking under another knife and jamming her paw into the sand. Although he didn't know it, he was surrounded in a miniature mind-field of traps.

Pula dived forward, and sprung the trap, simultaneously throwing another capsule at Yue.

Both got a direct hit.

 _"Finally the stink's starting to clear away!"_

 _"Good, now we can see who won!"_

But the winner wasn't exactly visible. Pula was lying dazed on his back, a large graze on his chest where the iron barb had flown out at him. Yue was also dazed, surrounded in a small cloud of the gas.

 _"Uh, well I think…"_

 _"The winner is…"_

They shouted simultaneously.

 _"Pula!"_

 _"Yue!"_

They glared at each other.

 _"No, Pula obviously won, he skunked her! That's a fate worse than death!"_

 _"Look at him man, he's bleeding! He totally lost that!"_

 _"Did not!"_

 _"Did too!"_

" _Rock, paper scissors?"_

 _"Come we go!"_

 _"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"_ Both picked rock.

 _"My rock's harder than yours!"_

 _"Is not!"_

 _"Is too!"_

Then Mrs Tamod cut in. "It appears ladies and gentlemen, that we have a tie!"


	32. Wood and Wind

_"Wait, what does that mean!?"_

 _"Are they both out or both through!?_

"They're both in." Mrs Tamod replied dryly.

 _"Excellent news everyone, both stinky and spotty are through to another round!"_

 _"And that leaves only two more competitors left to do battle!"_

 _"Tiaaaaaaanqi vs PUUUUUUULSAAAAAAR!"_

The horse calmly got to his feet, and used the stairs. The tanuki clicked his neck.

"May the best ham win!" Tianqi said.

Pulsar blinked. "You mean may the best mammal win? Right?"

Tianqi was abashed. "I meant what I said!"

 _"Fight!"_

Tianqi removed a scroll and threw it open. There was a puff of smoke, and when it cleared the horse was holding a zhanmadao in his hoof, ironically an anti-cavalry weapon.

Pulsar frowned at the long saber, and put his paws together.

Tianqi struck first, leaping upwards and bringing the saber down to where the tanuki was. Long, gnarled roots sprung up from the earth and blocked the way to Pulsar.

The tanuki then shot out several small, wooden needles, Tianqi pulled the saber out and flipped backwards. Pulsar didn't even glance at him, as the tanuki continued with his paw seals. Then he slammed a paw into the sand, and the bushy green heads began to crawl out.

"You should consider a business in agriculture." The horse commented casually.

Tianqi charged forwards, his zhanmadao was a blur around him, the horse then sliced the air. A gust of sharp wind flew above Pulsar's head, narrowly missing the tanuki. It wasn't aimed for him.

The tree fell without much noise, and hit Pulsar right in the back of the head.

Tianqi placed the zhanmadao back into the scroll, and walked away casually.

 _"Well, that was quick…"_

Zora's jaw dropped. His rival, the only one who had ever beaten the total, _total_ shit out of him was finished in only one move? "He must have lost his touch.

Then the tree shot back out and flew towards the horse, who only just managed to get out of the way in time. The trunk buried itself in the wooden barrier and quivered there, then roots shot out towards the horse, who had recovered his zhanmadao and was now slicing the roots as they came for him. It was no good however, as the fallen roots were slithering towards him like ravenous snakes. That and he had his back to his opponent. Pulsar dove forwards and kicked the horse forwards. Tianqi made his fall into a roll and got up, slicing at a root crawling around his back, before sending a blast of air at the tanuki. Naturally the raccoon avoided the blow, but the tips of his fur were sent flying. Tianqi then tried to bring the blade down into the tanuki's skull. Pulsar threw himself away from the blow, which sent sand flying from the force of it's landing.

By now the competitors were restless. The task was taking forever and they were getting tired just from watching match after match.

Tianqi continued hacking and dodging the creeping plants as they tried to climb over and around him. He had no time to breathe, whereas Pulsar wasn't doing much, besides occasionally sidestepping a slice of air as it flew towards him.

The horse pulled backwards, and hacked another root to shreds as it tried to crawl over him. He swung for Pulsar, who ducked, the blade burying itself deep into the wooden barrier. Pulsar then went for the kill, and aimed a fist right into the equine's privates. Tianqi blocked with his knee, and the raccoon yelped in pain, before receiving a flying roundhouse kick to the face. The equine tugged at the zhanmadao but it refused to budge. As a pair of roots snaked towards his legs Tianqi pounced forwards, rolling away from the plants, before removing two more scrolls from his robes and throwing them open. Two puffs of smoke later and he was holding a pair of dao blades.

Pulsar recovered from the horse's attack quickly enough and shot out several wooden needles. Tianqi spun his blades in front of him so fast it formed a kind of protective whirlwind, and instead of sharp wooden spines all that flew at him was sawdust.

 _"Looks like it will take more than chopsticks to defeat this windy horse!"_

Tianqi swung at Pulsar's chest, but the blast of air sliced through a hastily-made shield of roots instead.

 _"Windy? Why windy? Is there no better word to describe his fighting style?"_

 _"Well, I could have said 'gassy' but I didn't."_

Pulsar shot out several more roots at his opponent, who was continuing his asvance, leaving a trail of sawdust in his wake.

 _"Toilet humour everyone-the lazy writer's crutch."_

 _"I am not a lazy writer!"_

 _"Oh yes you are!"_

 _"Not!"_

 _"Too!"_

 _"Not!"_

 _"Too!"_

Tianqi was advancing towards Pulsar, his blades whirling so fast they were a blur.

 _"Too!"_

 _"Not!"_

 _"Not!"_

 _"Too! Wait-what?"_

 _"Hahaha- Ladies and gentlemen! The winner of this match is ME!"_

Qadim facepalmed so hard it hurt a little. The crowd had roared at first-until they had caught on to what the commentator had said…then the majority were in confusion as to what was happening.

Tianqi was a few feet from Pulsar when the tanuki changed tack and threw an entire trunk at the horse. His dao blades spun right into the thick wood and got stuck there, the trunk's growth then sucker-punched the equine backwards, his dao blades still stuck.

Tianqi crashed onto his back, before rollingbto the side to avoid the whip of vines that scattered the sand where his head had been. He jumped into the air, the root missing his hooves by an inch as he raised his knees. He landed in a split, the vines missing him narrowly. He regained his composure and went for his zhanmadao, slicing the trunk that held it open with a blast of air from his hooves. He pulled it free just as the roots caught hold of his legs.

 _"Oh no! The horse is trapped!"_

Tianqi threw the blade at the tanuki, the wind guiding the blade forwards as it spun towars Pulsar.

It stopped, quivering, an inch from his neck, held tightly down by every root and vine in the vicinity.

"Phew. I almost thought I was a goner." He said, breathing a sigh of relief-which turned into a short scream as he realized Tianqi was flying at him with a double kick too fast to dodge. The blow caught the mammal in the side of the face hard and sent him flying backwards through the air. He crashed into the barrier. His eyes widened as Tianqi charged forwards with a roundhouse kick that knocked the japanese raccoon out cold.

It was over, the large purple bruise expanded largely over the tanuki's face. Tianqi dusted himself off, sheathed his zhanmadao into the scroll and regaining possession of his dao blades.

 _"The winner of this match is TIAAAAAAANQI!"_

 _"Okay, after this round that just would. not. end, we bring to you the conclusion of the Second Task!"_

 _"So proceeding further we have BAAAAAAAAADR AJAAAAAAAAAAAAAM, ViccoriTianqiDuyaoAlphaKuufuTheRedRoguePulaYueCatandMisty!"_

 _"Join us next time for more epic battles!"_


	33. The Interquel

Lee threw his breakfast down onto the table in frustration. The dumplings bounced around and rolled to the floor. His ear was limp and his ribs were weak, yet all he felt was pure anger. Pain was secondary. Every day Duyao had gone up to the library in search of the Kingswood and information on it. Every day Lee watched the murderer walk free. He had enrolled in the tournament to fight and kill her... But she had beaten the stork and the wolf had beaten him. Shame was another emotion that battled inside him for supremacy. He had not been the son his parents wanted... And he could understand why. What good was a child who couldn't even avenge them.

He found he had no appetite, and threw aside the dumplings, before limping off.

* * *

Han had been slightly surprised to find Cat waiting for him as soon as breakfast was over. Probably since they had never spoken before...

"Hey, you're the kid the bad guys want, right?" The cheetah asked. Han was unsure whether the feline was treating him like a 'kid', on purpose.

"I guess. What do you want?"

"Follow me." The cheetah responded, turning away.

The whole thing was suspicious enough to make Han have second thoughts. "No thanks." The wolverine responded, backing away.

"I thought you might say that." A paw caught him on the shoulder, and a moment later they were gone.

And a moment later they reappeared, and Han freed himself from the cheetah's grip

"You may be wondering why I brought you here." Cat began. Han's jaw fell slack. He stood on the shore of a lake, with crystal clear water and lotus petals decorating it. The island was bare, but beautiful in it's own way. There in the center, stood a palace like a mountain. So tall it seemed to touch the sky, with glittering red tiles glimmering in the sunlight.

"Because it's pretty?" Han offered, slightly disgruntled by the sudden teleportation, and still weary of the feline.

The cheetah laughed. "No Han, I'm going to make you into a fighter."

"I already am a fighter." He said indignantly.

Cat opened and closed his mouth, as if he didn't know how to respond to that.

"Pay attention. Speed Demon, as I call it, is a lesser form of Undying Will. It doesn't make your nervous system all shiny and doesn't last as long, but doesn't drain you as much, either. Observe." The cheetah's paws were a blur as he made his seals, then before Han had the chance to blink the cheetah was circling him. Then he was getting patted on the back, head and cheek in such quick succession it was almost at the same time.

"How did you do that?" The wolverine asked, his eyes wide in shock and excitement, all weariness leaving him.

"That Han, was nothing. Really, that was nothing. I'm not even out of breath! Now, repeat after me."

And the cat's paws were moving once more. Han tried to keep up, but failed miserably.

"No! Nononononono!" Cat shook his head from side to side. "Repeat after me!" And his paws were moving in a blur again.

"Then slow down!" Han snapped as he wiggled his fingers in a hopeless attempt to catch up.

Cat blinked. "Slow down? What do you mean slow down?"

"Go less fast. You know, so I can actually see your paws!"

Cat stared at him with lack of comprehension.

Han growled. And people called _him_ thick?!

"Don't growl at your master! I'm trying to teach you something valuable!"

"Master? You are not my master." Han snorted.

"I'm teaching you." Cat pointed out.

"So? That doesn't make you better than me!" Han shot back.

"I never said I was. Though... I'm still in the running and you're... Not." Cat smirked a little.

Han's eye twitched violently. "You're a rubbish teacher. Take me back to the palace." He commanded, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Rubbish teacher? You're a rubbish student." Cat said, offended.

"I didn't even ask for teaching, you kidnapped me and now you expect me to call you master? Just because you don't know the meaning of 'slow down'."

Cat placed a paw on the wolverine's shoulder and prepared to travel back. "With an attitude like that it's no wonder you're not in the running anymore."

Han shrugged him off. "So, I lost my match and you didn't. Your _luck_ does not make you greater than me!"

Cat crossed his arms over his chest. "No, it's because I worked hard to get to where I am. I have been training since I was nine, not just blaming my teachers for my inability to learn."

"You are not better than me." Han said with a derisive snort. "I am being hunted by the most dangerous people in China. Do you think you can train for what happened to me?"

Cat gave no reply, so Han began ticking off his achievements. "I lost both my parents as a little child. I was tortured for years. Then I had to leave the only place that would have me. Then I join a crew of killers and cutthroats. Then I get chased by the same killers and cutthroats-"

"Your suffering is not an excuse for not wanting to learn."

"You can't teach!"

Cat shrugged. "I told you what to do, you couldn't do it. Not my fault. Or problem. Now, do you want to go back to the palace?"

Han growled. "Why did you even make me come?"

"To teach you."

"Why?"

"Because you need to learn. People like me aren't always going to be there to save you. It's time you grew up and started making some progre-"

Han punched him in the stomach. "Shut up about growing up. I never had a choice. I had to grow up to survive. You got your fancy training and your stupid seals, all I got was suffering!"

Cat responded by kicking him square in the chest. The wolverine tumbled backwards. "And I just got to lay down and relax all day long? You assume too much Han. Everyone suffers. I'm trying to help you."

"You're very helpful." Han responded sarcastically, climbing to his feet.

"Let's go back."

And so they went back. Han shrugged off the cheetah the second he felt his feet touch the ground, and the two stomped off in opposite directions.

* * *

"You may be wondering why I brought you here today." Chang Shuimian began, waving a wing at the empty grounds, well not entirely empty. There stood a wooden lion, old and brown, with a painted grin. It's limbs were attached to ropes Chang Shuimian had expertly spaced apart. Badr had indeed been wondering that, and contrary to the stork's tone the wooden lion only served to further confuse him. "I am going to make you into a fighter Badr Ajam."

Suspicion started to creep back into Badr.

"Pay attention. The art of pupetteering is something noone will see coming, especially not from you." Chang grabbed a rope for each limb, wrapped it around him, and then swung. The lion swung in the same motion, forcing Badr to duck.

"How did you do that?" The black cat gaped, his mistrust of the stork vanishing at the prospect of greater power.

"That Badr, was nothing. Some are so skilled in this technique they don't even need ropes. Now come here and repeat after me."

* * *

Viccori would have gladly torn Kuufu to shreds and boiled him in a cauldron. But what with everyone searching for a potential killer on the loose he figured it would only rouse suspicion. So to divert his thoughts (and they were a lot of them) he became engrossed in the Kingswood. The library was somewhat poor, but it seemed to serve the frog Duyao adequately. And there were several scrolls and even a thin book about the notorious gang. They had hurt Zhanshi... Who had told him of the cursed feline's curse and what Zhanshi had been forced to watch. It made him clench his fists and shake in rage. He would gouge out the leopard's eyes before the tournament was done if it killed him! Not that gouging out someone's eyes was likely to hurt him. Zhanshi was in the hospital wing, still recovering from her wounds, but he had visited her as often as possible. As thoughts raced back to torturing Kuufu, he summarised what he knew of the other threat.

The Kingswood were notorious, and had been so for half a century, it seemed. It had been founded in the Kingswood by a kitsune who styled herself 'The Queen of Kings'. The name had made Zhanshi snort derisively, and Viccori had to agree. It was a stupid name. It had terrorized nobles, who used the forest as a quick travel route for the southern provinces to the Imperial City. It had expanded wildly, until the Imperial Army had scourged the forest and vanquished the majority of the members. Then it had become more reserved-hiring only powerful fighters and dividing them into two man teams. The rest was all the same, yet Viccori had gathered an important clue.

If two of the Kingswood had infiltrated the tournament then it would have to be some people who knew each other. That had lead to his list of suspects. Chang Shuimian and Mr Wo-the two had spoken often. Chang Shuimian had also known Duyao at one point. Duyao and Mr Wo was a stretch, but it was a smart move, to only communicate with a middle man.

Zora and Pulsar were another pair he found himself suspicious of. Two young children with that level of skill? It was a bit suspicious, even for a kitsune and tanuki.

There was also Kuufu and Alpha, as potential suspects. Neither had subtlety and both outwardly hated each other... Yet it had been Alpha's alchohol that had lost Zhanshi the match against Kuufu.

There was the possibility that the infiltrator had infiltrated the tournament staff, in which case Flying Rhino was chief suspect. He was in the perfect position to cover up evidence, and had shown up because of the Kingswood.

Jian and Qian, the ferret twins. One was now seriouy wounded and both were out of the running.

Cat and Misty were another possibility. Both had substantial amounts of power and both were through to the next round. And both acted in an incredibly kind way.

All thing considered the list of innocents was far fewer. It consisted of him, Zhanshi and Han-the latter both because he was the intended victim and he wasn't smart enough to pull one past him or anyone else.

The porcupine rose to his feet and walked out the library, just as Lee limped in.

* * *

 _Footnote: Right. This is how the story will be managed. The next chapter will be about Han and Tianqi. After that there's Lee and Duyao, then Viccori, Zora and Pulsar, then there's Pula, Yue, Jian and Qian and then there's finally Badr, Mr Wo and Chang Shuimian._

 _Now I was going to post all this consecutivy, but I think I lost the document so._

 _I intend to finish both this and House of Tamod by Easter (April the First) both because of the Egg Hunt and because it gives me time to finish this. Enjoy._


	34. Revenge of the Rabbit

Duyao shut the tome heavily. Three thousand and seventy two pages and not a word about the Kingswood Brotherhood? She glared at it. 'The Underworld: A Short Summary of China's Less Savoury Groups'. Snorting she shoved it aside and made to grab another book.

Lee slammed the side of his trident into the tome, slashing it's three thousand and seventy two pages clean in two.

Duyao looked at the bunny, who's form was shaking with rage. The frog frowned deeply at him. "Is something wrong?" She asked icily. He couldn't have figured it out...

"Do you know who I am?" The rabbit hissed menacingly.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked instead.

With a flourish he brought the point of his trident to her throat. "Answer my question!" He demanded viciously.

So much anger... So he knows... "No idea." Duyao rose, shoving the trident away from her neck. Before she could react the other end of the weapon slammed into the side of her head. Then Lee hopped forwards with a powerful kick to her chest. The amphibian rolled backwards and leapt over the trident's sweep. Upon re-landing she blocked the trident's shaft, forcing it to vibrate madly, and by extent forcing her opponent to focus on holding it instead of stabbing her with it. Duyao took this opportunity to send him flying backwards via a kick to the chest.

Lee fell hard on his back, his ribs shooting agony through the rest of his body. Hastily, he picked himself up, twirling his weapon around his form as he focused on the opponent in front of him.

"What do you want?" She asked, shoving the desk aside to prepare for more effective.

"You. Dead!" He thrust forwards, as fast as lightning. But Duyao was just as quick and punched the trident downwards, where it sunk deep into the wooden floor. Lee stumbled forwards, his balance entirely lost. Then Duyao tore forwards, her fist raised. The rabbit recovered in time to sidestep the blow, however the frog's fist crashed into the floor, sending a wave of energy around her that knocked Lee off his feet.

"What do you want?" She snarled, picking him up by the front, and forcing him to look into her eyes.

"Revenge!" He yelled, spitting into her face and thereby blinding her. Duyao stepped backwards and was immediately floored by a powerful leg sweep.

Lee felt pain shoot further through him as his bad leg knocked Duyao off balance. He winced, but bore with it, before slamming his other foot into her gut.

The frog gasped for breath as the wind was forced out of her. Acting quickly, she brought her feet up and landed a powerful double-kick to the stomach, before getting to her feet and catching her breath.

As Lee flew backwards, he caught his weapon by the edge and steadied himself. He pulled the trident free from the floor, and swung it at her. She bent backwards to avoid the sharp metal, before shooting back up and coming in with a swing of her own.

Lee fell to the floor, his limp ear throbbing with pain. He had been too slow with the swing. _I need to move faster._ He spun around and jabbed forwards at the approaching frog, who pounced back to avoid a fatal wound. He twisted himself to his feet, before swinging at her stomach. His aim was a little off, but nothing could have made him feel better than the sight of her blood spraying out from the connection.

"What is wrong with you?!" She exclaimed. She couldn't hurt him-he was merely a child. Yet he was intent on drawing out conflict.

"I already told you!" He pounced forwards, all his weight behind the thrust. It would have gone right through the amphibian had she not avoided the attack. But she was too slow to avoid the subsequent swing that aimed for her head. A gash was left on her cheek, and blood flew like fireworks into the air.

Duyao hopped away. "I am warning you now, stop this madness!"

"Madness? Look at me, and tell me what you see." He snapped back.

"A child trying to kill me." _Revenge... Revenge... I wanted revenge too...It all goes back to revenge._

Lee hated the cool look on her face and swung up at her. This time Duyao caught the weapon and held it tightly in place.

"What your father did to me was unforgivable." She said, dropping all pretense.

"So you killed him for it? You killed my mother too! You orphaned me!" Lee jabbed at her neck.

Duyao stopped the thrust in it's tracks just before it got the chance to kill her. "And what would you have done in my position?" She threw him off, making the rabbit stumble back. Before he could regain balance, Duyao kicked him in side, knocking him off his feet. "Your father got what he deserved." She raised a fist.

* * *

Han was still in a bad mood half an hour later. It wasn't that he had any kind of grating obsession with Cat. Just that he didn't really have anything else to do or think about. Well he could think about the Kingswood, but that wasn't something he particularly liked thinking about.

Kang Aru was satisfied. After coming out and (arguably) costing Han the fight he was at peace and not too anxious to try and take over once more. _Stupid demon._ Thought the wolverine. Then he remembered the name of Cat's technique. "Speed demon? Who ever heard of something as stupid as _'Speed Demon'?_ I bet it was named by some ten year old."

The cheetah's attitude had been the worst though. Han hadn't asked for help-Cat had offered-he had refused-then Cat had practically kidnapped him. And yet nothing truly bad had happened. Then why on earth was he so utterly bothered!?

"Hello Han."

"Fuck off! I told you I don't wanna learn your dumb technique!" Han snapped, before figuring out that the voice did not belong to Cat. "Oh-er... Sorry Tianqi. I thought you were-"

"Cat. Yes I know. I saw him take you. I thought the Kingswood had something to do with it so I went to try and find Master Flying Rhino, but it appears you are unharmed. Sometimes, the sun does rise in the east."

"And sometimes you get your proverbs right! Congratulation!" Han made to high-five the horse, but Tianqi stepped away from him.

"Don't touch me!" The horse snapped wildly. Before relaxing. "I'm sorry, I ate at the wrong side of the table this morning."

Han opened his mouth to correct the horse, then closed it again. "Technically that proverb's not wrong. Eating the wrong breakfast can be very detrimental to one's entire day."

Tianqi nodded. "Well I'm glad you're safe. The gods gave us two eyes so that sometimes we can look back on our mistakes."

"Why do you always speak in proverbs?" Han asked.

Tianqi paused for thought and shrugged. "It is a clever way of conveying wisdom. See you Han." He waved goodbye.

 _No no no. Don't go, then all I'll think about is that stupid cat!_ "Hey Tianqi! Let's talk a bit."

"About?" The horse asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Anything." The wolverine said immediately.

The horse cocked his head to the side, then nodded. "Fine. We can start with the weather."

 _Well... Better than staying alone..._

 ** _But you're never alone! You've got me!_**

"Shut up!" Han growled, interrupting Tianqi's soliloquy about the necessity of clouds.

"What? But you asked me to talk!"

"Um... I was talking to my stomach."

"You mean your demon?"

"Yeah..."

Tianqi shrugged. "And without clouds we'd have no rain."

* * *

Han was not the only one ranting about the morning's incident. "And he just wouldn't do it! I showed it to him and everything. He ought to have been able to do a better job-but nooooooo I was going 'too fast'." Cat spat. "Honestly I'm surprised he isn't dead yet. The whole Kingswood is after him and he refuses to try and improve his combat."

Misty rolled her eyes. "And you were going on about how he could be a Guardian if you could just get the chance to train him." She shook her head. "You owe me fifty yuan."

Cat tossed the sack of coins at her. "He's just so thick and stubborn-"

Misty tuned him out-knowing Cat this would bother him until there was something else to occupy his mind.

* * *

She had found the fox first. He had stuttered apologies and begged for his life. She had slammed his head into the fireplace and pressed him against the burning embers. The frog had tried to fight. She had smashed his chest into a bloody crater. Then she had found the dog and squeezed the life out of his throat. The pig had taken his own life before she had arrived. Then the rabbit. He had a son. He had a wife. She had killed him and his wife, the latter had been an accident. _If I kill the son then I'm a monster..._

"I'm going to give you a chance to back down now. Take it and go!" Duyao lowered her fist.

The trident slammed into her shoulder, and a well-placed kick forced Duyao to loose balance. Lee rose to his feet, swinging wildly in the same motion. He missed his intended target and tore through several books.

Duyao regained her balance and swung at him, her fist connecting heavily with the rabbit's shoulder. Lee yelled in pain, before the frog slammed her foot on top of his and backhanded the bunny into a bookshelf.

Lee rolled back and spat blood. Pain, pain, pain. It was painful. He tried weakly to rise as Duyao approached.

With no emotion on her face she slammed her foot down on his chest. Lee coughed madly as blood somehow found it's way into his throat. The frog raised her fist, ready for the final blow.

 _I'm not a monster._ "Goodbye." She spat, letting her fist fall harmless at her side. Then Duyao turned and walked away.

Lee's eyelids were drooping. _I must... Get up. I must get up. If I moved faster... If I was a better son... I failed you guys... Again..._ Then his eyes shut and the rabbit lay still.

* * *

 _Footnote: This fight was pretty hard to write, purely because of the difference in power levels. Lee is hopelessly outclassed, but is the one pursuing revenge and conflict. I hope Duyao is starting to come across as a more 3D character, rather than the evil cardboard cut-out she was in the original HoT. This story and the remake will hopefully shed some more light on the subject matter that is 'Duyao'._

 _Also don't worry, Lee's not dead. More will be explained in the following chapters. Next time we get Tianqi's back story and maybe Cat and Misty's? As well as Han's finished back story. Also I will confirm that Lee's not dead, before hopefully moving on to the Pula/ Yue/ Jian/ Qian chapter._

 _I have an interesting style for writing these (VoreLover and I lost the mega document...), wherein I write one or two characters entire mini-arc, before cutting it up and fusing the characters._

 _Enjoy_


	35. The Past of Some

"So I was born in a Feral Asylum." Tianqi began to tell his tale (it had taken much pleading and puppy dog-eyes to achieve this, as well as to promise to tell Tianqi his whole story. The Curse apparently only prevented him from talking explicitly of the other members of the Kingswood). "My parents are both feral, but I don't think I ever was. But the people there were either too stupid to tell the difference or cruel enough to not care. They treated me like an animal-"

"We are animals."

"Can you not interrupt?"

"Sure."

"Well I don't like physical contact because of them, so you could say they scarred me for life. It doesn't matter though. Eventually I was adopted by Mrs Fan and Mrs Min. They care a lot about me but they aren't cared for well themselves. I think one of them's married to Mr Mufen, but I don't know. He's never treated them like people. More like objects."

"Why? Can he not tell the difference or something?" Han asked dumbly. The Lin Kuei and Kingswood had never had any problems like this.

"He's just like that. Anyways. I started learning Kung Fu since I was five, so that I could protect them."

* * *

Cat stopped ranting suddenly and paused for thought. "You know what's the worst part? He acts like I have never struggled for anything!"

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Have you struggled for anything recently?" Being extremely powerful the two hardly ever struggled for anything.

"Well no. I mean there was the kitsune but still. I meant he acts like I've always been this powerful."

" _You_ act like you've always been this powerful. Hello, Cat? Cat, are you okay?"

* * *

 _He held his head in his paws, tears streaming down his cheeks at the sight that lay before him. His father scoffed at the sight of him, and dropped his mother's dead body to the floor. Turning, the older feline made a ball of black flames in his paw, and let it loose inside the house._

 _The younger cheetah could have run, he probably should have, instead, he crept forwards. The gash was horrendous, with blood bubbling out weakly. His mother was dying and his father had killed her._

 _What had possibly gone wrong?_

 _His mother tried to reach her paw out to him, but it fell before she could hold his paw. The young feline grabbed his mother's paw and held it tight. He wanted to beg her... To stay a while longer. At least a little while longer... She tried to make words, but the only thing that left her throat was blood. Then she shuddered and Kinchi felt something rush through him as his mother died, but he didn't know what it was. All he knew was that his mother was dead..._

* * *

 _"Do you know who I am?" Asked the voice. It was a dark room._

 _Kinchi shook his head weakly. He wished there was a candle..._

 _"Good. Better question. Do you know who you are?"_

 _"K-kinchi?"_

 _"No. Kinchi is dead. Your name is Cat. Remember it, it rhymes with hat."_

 _Cat... Cat. "Why do I have to be Cat?"_

 _"To kill your father and avenge your mother-you must be Cat."_

 _The young cheetah shut his eyes firmly. If that's what it would take to avenge his mother... That was what he'd become._

* * *

 _"Repeat after me."_

 _Cat blinked, unable to copy the blur of movement that was her hooves. "I-I can't."_

 _"Then you are not strong enough. I'm sorry. Your mother cannot be avenged by you."_

 _Fresh tears sprung to his eyes. The figure turned to leave. If she left noone would train him. He would never become stronger..._

 _"W-wait! I can do it again!"_

 _And so he tried. And tried. And failed. But tried again. And once more. And a third time._

 _And one day, many tries later, he figured it out._

 _"You still are not strong enough." The figure said coolly. "Train harder. Learn more."_

 _Cat bowed his head. He'd do anything to avenge her. "What shall I learn next?"_

* * *

"Cat? Hello?"

"Oh, nothing. Don't worry. Just remembering things..." He shivered.

Misty placed a paw on the cheetah's shoulder. "Forget your past. It's honestly not worth thinking about. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the library for a bit of light reading."

* * *

"Eventually I discovered that my hooves were malformed. Hence why I can manipulate the air itself. I started incorporating that into my combat. My weapons are also specifically designed to be able to catch and essentially bend the wind."

"Woah. I thought you were using magic."

"I suppose the illusion is valid. A shadow does resemble the being it was created from. I learned Scroll Sealing because quite frankly I can't be bothered to go around carrying my arsenal with me. I mean I do, just not in a heavy form. So I am competing now to prove my worth and test myself. So far, I think I'm doing quite well."

"Well better than me!" Han said with a good-natured laugh and a slap on the back that made Tianqi desperately pull away.

"I told you! No physical contact!"

"Oh, er sorry."

"Hey Han." Both the horse and the mustelid turned to Saphire Tamod, who looked positively radiant as she approached. For some reason she seemed to be walking slowly and there was romantic music playing in the background of their imaginations. "Hello? China to Han, are you still there?"

Tianqi recovered first and bowed. "My name is Tianqi. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, hello again." Han replied, snapping out of his dreamlike state.

"I was just wondering whether you were hungry or not?"

"Well..." Tianqi began. He hadn't eaten very long ago.

"You bet we are!" Han replied jubiliantly, pulling the horse down into a headlock, one Tianqi responded to by dropping the wolverine face down in the floor. Tianqi automatically followed up with a high-pitched scream and an air blast that buried his opponent into the earth.

"Ouch..." wheezed Han, temporarily stunned.

"Um sorry... I don't like contact." Tianqi said, coughing awkwardly.

* * *

Misty frowned at the sight of the destroyed library. Countless precious scrolls and books were scattered everywhere. It almost made her cry. She approached the injured bunny and gasped. While the otter did possess a healing technique it was only effective against durable people like herself. She couldn't risk damaging the boy further.

"It was his own fault." Came Duyao's voice. The frog had returned, primarily to make sure she hadn't overdone it. "I offered him out, all he wanted was revenge."

"I've seen that." Misty said dumbly. Revenge destroyed people...

* * *

 _"We have to. If the soothsayer was right then this child will destroy the Secret Palace of Mount Fuji. What's one child, compared to the worth of the whole world?"_

 _The mother bit back tears, and threw the bundle of blankets over the side of a cliff. "For the greater good." She whispered, turning her back to the helpless otter-babe trying desperately to paddle as she sunk under the lake._

* * *

 _That would not be the end of her. She awoke in a land of darkness, where a voice rumbled and a contract shone in front of her. She did not remember reading it, only that she had sprinkled blood-her blood over it and then she had awoken._

 _Small, five years old, recently deceased and now powerful. It had been chaotic..._

 _The otter child made tendrils of blood burst out of her back and travelled around the room, flying through the countless guards. One fox tried to stab at her from behind, and for his efforts the child grabbed him by the throat and held him there, screaming, as her blood sunk through his eyes and burst into his skull. Then at last the palace was empty and she turned to face her remaining opponents. Her mother and father._

 _"Please m-my child-" Water wrapped around the female otter in a bubble, squeezing the air out of her. The smaller otter girl watched as bubbles escaped her mothers now drowned form and let her body drop to the ground. Then her father stood there... Speechless and broken. Well... Not as broken as he could be. Ice stacked around her father in huge block, freezing every inch of him. Misty marched forwards and with a single swing of her powerful tail the ice shattered and her father burst into bits and pieces. That was when her rage failed her and she dropped to her knees, sobbing hysterically._

* * *

"I've seen that too." Duyao said solemnly. "Revenge makes everyone a monster."

* * *

 _For a long while she didn't know what to do. She buried the dead. She cleaned the silent halls of blood and dust. And found nothing to do. Her hatred was what had driven her forwards. And now even that had been taken from her..._

* * *

"I'll take him to the Hospital Wing." Duyao said, snapping her out of her past. Misty merely nodded. The giant otter went to find Cat. Surprisingly short though it had been-it had been a long day.

* * *

"Anyways..." Han said, chuckling awkwardly at having not only creeped out both his companions but also scaring away all the customers in earshot of his grizzly tail. "So the Lin Kuei kept me for a bit. I mean they key me sleep and eat and train with them I guess. They gave the weird axe-it was that or a meteor and well... I never really learned to use that weapon so yeah... The armour was also one of theirs. But they were nice and all, but I always felt out of place. So yeah... I left. And in my travels I met the Kingswood-they were the best! Well before they wanted to kill me... Prowler was always nice and kind and he made St-one of them teach me a few tricks he had picked up. It felt like one big, happy family...until it just... Wasn't." He sighed. "They killed Prowler and Elder and wanted to kill me. But I escaped and have been running ever since." He then forced a grin. "But that's life, am I right? This happens to almost everybody, doesn't it?"

Saphire frowned, feeling guilt mount within her whenever she looked at him. He'd already been through enough and now he was eliminated from the tournament... "So what are you going to do when the tournament's over?"

"I'm going to make my own dojo. Kung Fu is an art everyone should be able to enjoy!"

"Well... I guess I'll just be back on the run." Han said solemnly. "But who cares, am I right? We're still only on Task Three! We've got time! We're too young to be worrying. Now let's talk about... Um... The weather?"

Saphire smiled slightly at the irony. Han had more reasons to worry than the either her or Tianqi put together...yet he insisted on not worrying. "It's going to be a beautiful week." She said, relaxing.

"Actually," Tianqi corrected. "It looks like it'll be cloudy in an hour or two."

* * *

 _Footnote: So who's backstory did you like most? Out of Cat, Lee, Han, Misty and Tianqi's. I like them all personally and as an author must be unbiased! And I haven't entirely finished Duyao's... Not yet..._

 _Now that wraps up Han, Tianqi, Duyao, Cat, Misty, Lee and Saphire's mid-task chapters. Next up we have Zora, Pulsar, Viccori and Zhanshi-which I assure you-is definetly something to look forwards to :)_


	36. The Alchemist and The Japanese Monsters

"No! Nonononono! Your kind are the attention seekers!" Zora expressed, his paws crossed over his chest. Pulsar had caught him cutting holes in Cat's pants, and had proclaimed him an attention seeker.

"We are not! Look, you're the one cutting the pants."

"Yeah, coz Cat-chan disqualified me!"

"So you want him to beat you up again?"

"He didn't beat me up! He won by this much!" He indicated the microscopic space between his claws.

"Sure." Scoffed the tanuki.

Zora scowled. "You can't call anyone an attention seeker. Not when your species are the ones that go around saying they have bigger balls than anyone!"

Pulsar became flustered. "N-no that was you! Your kind started that horrible rumour! You know some people even think that feral tanuki's have got those?"

"Serves you right! You tanuki started the rumour that we eat kidneys to grow older."

"Your kind started it!" Pulsar defended.

"Did not!" Zora shot back.

"Did too!"

"If the rumour bothers you so much-" Zora said. "How come the last time we fought you used that illegal technique?"

"It's not illegal-"

"You humiliated me! You stuffed me down a wooden dick man! I thought we were friends." Zora sounded only slightly hurt.

"We aren't! I've already said this like a thousand times. We are merely friendly acquaintances."

"Humph." They turned away from each other. After a pause the vitriolic companions turned back to each other. "I was hoping to fight you."

"Yeah... Me too." Pulsar grinned. "I was going to beat you again!"

"Well now we can't even do that."

"Yeah. It's a pity we had to ditch that plan."

"What plan?" The two turned to see Viccori, emotionlessly scrutinizing them.

"None of your business." They huffed.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. They had just climbed several rungs on the ladder of suspects.

"Is there a problem?" Pulsar asked calmly.

"Are you with the Kingswood?" He asked and watched their reactions.

"No."

"No!"

"That's ridiculous!"

"Stupid!"

"Idiotic-"

He didn't believe them. "Your cult hurt my companion." He said dangerously low.

"Hey man, relax! We're not part of any cult!" They both tried to explain, their eyes wide with fear.

"Nobody hurts my Zhanshi."

He drew his ninjite.

* * *

The room was dark and crowded. The Kingswood Brotherhood stood around the table, wearing the black clothing and golden crown patterns that was their uniform. There were fifteen of them, of varying shapes and sizes, though only fourteen were present. One was still within the tournament.

She looked to them all one by one. The large brutes Zeke, Arms, Stones, and Kicks. The small and deadly Ayano. Fang Zhi and his Demon-Pot of living fire. Drip the blood demon. The young and dangerous Su and Shengwu. The short-tempered Chopper. The shapeshifter Rikuaoshi. The mysterious and sadistic Silence. The quiet Howler. And herself.

And now the deal was off. They had not had a word from their insider and to top it all off the young and bold Master Flying Rhino was here. There was still a chance they could storm the palace and take what they wanted- but that meant leaving the shadows and the shadows were their home.

The room was tense and silent. They had to make a move soon. Everyone would be on guard now, which made it much harder to hide.

"We're leaving." Miss Kitty finally spoke. There were looks of outrage, of anger and some of relief. But nobody spoke. She wasn't leader for nothing. "Han is not that important." She said grudgingly. "He is not important enough to bring all our plans down. We remain in the shadows."

"So all of that was for nothing?" Kicks said glumly.

"Perhaps. But I didn't say we're all leaving. Kicks, Silence, Rikuaoshi and I will be staying to capture our targets, and to terminate our benefactor. But we need to make it look like we've all left. Kicks, have you done anything to the hostage?"

The skunk grinned. "Not yet, but I've got lots of-"

"Good. He is central to my plan. You will do nothing. The rest of you will head back to the Kingswood. Await our return. Dismissed."

* * *

Viccori's intellect was arguably unrivalled throughout the world. Yet, here he was, jumping to a conclusion. His one 'weakness' seemed to be Zhanshi. Kuufu and the Kingswood had hurt her. And they would pay.

He dashed forwards, swinging the ninjite at the pair. Pulsar threw himself to the side, while Zora drew and parried with his own ninjite. To his horror, the porcupine's weapon tore through the metal, slicing it as easily as wood. The kitsune only just avoided the following swing, before throwing himself away from his opponent. He gazed despondently at the handle of his ninjite, a tiny bit of metal stuck out where his weapon had once been.

Pulsar shot three needles of wood at the aggressor, who deflected all three. With speed and agility the tanuki had no hope to match he drew and fired his crossbow, before turning around to block a double chop from Zora, which he followed up by planting a kick on the kitsune that sent him flying back.

Pulsar caught the bolt an inch from his face in a tangle of roots, which he sent towards Viccori with a wave of his paw. Viccori hopped over the plants, and charged at Zora. The kitsune was mid-way through his paw seals when he spotted the porcupine coming at him. His eyes widened and he stepped away desperately. The ninjite flashed around him, and he only just managed to escape. The roots scrambled around Viccori's legs and tightened their grip on him, surrounding him in them. Then Zora slammed his paw into the ground and pillars of light appeared all around the porcupine. With another set of paw seals Zora launched himself in a blur of light, from one pillar to the other.

Viccori frowned, he had already seen this. Freeing a potion with his mouth, he took a sip and waited, letting the phial drop to the floor.

 _Ping ping ping ping ping ping ping ping_.

The kitsune flew from pillar to pillar until suddenly, he shot at the bound porcupine.

* * *

Jian stared into the wall for hours on end. He ignored the grumblings of his stomach. He hated the feeling of helpessness. It had plagued him form most of his life. His brother had almost been killed, and even if he hadn't died the scar left on his gut would probably be a permeneant change.

Qian would have a joke about that. Sometimes, he thought they had gone far in life. From homeless orphans to thieves to professional mercenaries specialising in assassination and espionage. Yet Qian was still more or less the same. And look where it had gotten him.

Would the scar change him? Probably, and if so it was for the best. He had told Qian countless times that tournaments were not where they belonged. Naturally, Qian had refused and eventually he had relented, knowing full well that his twin would have gone with or without his permission. If Qian could have seen it his way then he wouldn't have been feeling so utterly helpless right now... Of course, he doubted Qian would be any different. And when Jian began berating him he'd say something like "if I saw things your way I'd be looking for my other eye."

He sighed. The door opened and in walked Duyao. She had just delivered Lee to the Hospital Wing and as such had a message for him.

"Well say it then." He said glumly _. Qian... Why don't you ever listen?_

"Your twin is awake."

It took him a moment to register this. A moment later he was out the door.

* * *

Pulsar waited as the dust settled and the pillars of bright light vanished. Then his eyes widened at the sight. Zora lay groaning on his back, clutching a nose bent the wrong way, Viccori stood where he had been bound, though the kitsune had broken through the roots for him.

Suddenly, he charged forwards, faster than he had before. The roots around the tanuki blocked the ninjite instinctively, but were too slow to avoid the crossbow that smashed into the side of his face and knocked him off his feet. This was followed up with a kick to the stomach that knocked the wind out of him. The roots scrambled up again, holding the porcupine tight and squeezing.

Zora got up. There was only one way to find out how to beat this guy. His paws were a blur as he made the seals to his signature move.

"Pulsar, turn him around!" The roots turned Viccori around, to face Zora just as the kitsune placed his paw over his eye.

Viccori frowned. He had not faced the kitsune's technique before. He was both curious to see what it could do and annoyed at having let himself get caught.

He had nothing to worry about. Zora saw the porcupine's entire life flash before his eyes in mere seconds. Normally this technique let him get inside an opponent's head with knowledge of their techniques and memories. With Viccori it overloaded his brain and caused him to faint. After all there were many things unfit for a twelve year old to see.

Pulsar's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Viccori frowned in dissapointment. He had been hoping for better... The grip of the roots slackened from Pulsar's lack of attention and he tore himself free.

The tanuki watched in horror as Viccori's foot came flying towards him. He fell slumped to the floor.

"That was... Disappointing." Viccori frowned. During the tournament both had put up a better match against their opponents... Evidently, he had drastically overestimated their strength. One thing the fight did do, however, was make it quite evident that Zora and Pulsar were not of the Kingswood. Maybe he had just been looking for stress relief...

* * *

 _Footnote: Writing Viccori fight is both very fun and kind of difficult when he curb stomps so many XD. This entire Mid-Task section could be named Awkward Conversations because that's pretty much everything that happens in it XD. Zora's eye trick will play into revealing some of his backstory (coz I'm a) not going to reveal all of it and b) I don't know all of it) and Zhanshi's. And Zora's and Pulsar's obviously. And we get Qian back yay! Though perhaps not as soon as next chapter... Also if you think Viccori went a bit too far too quickly, well yeah he did and I'll explain-next time :)_

 _And the Kingswood are leaving-sorry but the fic feels a bit too crowded with 16 villains so like yeah I'm going to cut them out-though not all of them as you can see._

 _Really I'm just throwing Backstories at you XD_

 _Enjoy._


	37. The Alchemist's Companion

Zora came to groaning. His head hurt like hell. Flashes filled his vision, quick, sudden images of the porcupine's life. Or rather Viccori's life. And there was just so much... Jumbled up as it was he found it made no sense. Sometimes he saw the porcupine, sometimes he wasn't even a porcupine. Zhanshi was in some memories, but less than he'd expected. There were countless others, faces he had never seen, names he had never heard. So much knowledge it actually made him feel sick just thinking about it.

His eyes opened and he could tell that someone had brought them to the Hospital Wing. Good, someone had managed stopped that rampaging lunatic!

"Good, you're awake." Zhanshi lay on the bed next to him, bandages wrapped around her middle where Kuufu had torn her open.

"Uhhh, what the hell is up with that guy?" The kitsune rubbed his forehead. Too much knowledge, too quickly gained resulted in a killer migraine. Definetly something to remember.

Zhanshi's eyes narrowed dangerously low. "'That guy' is Nicolo Viccori-you will not speak ill of his name."

"Doctor..." Pulsar moaned from two beds away.

"Doctor who?" Upon seeing that he would not get a response, Zora frowned and continued speaking to the honey badger. "Well he did just go ham on me and Pulsar so..."

Zhanshi rolled her eyes. "He broke your nose and gave the tanuki a black eye. Trust me, you haven't seen him go ham."

"Do I want to?" Zora groaned.

"Well you certainly don't want to be the one he's after when he does. He says your technique backfired."

"It did I guess, I'm meant to read his mind and suddenly I get hit with like a century worth of knowledge."

Zhanshi frowned. "Never seen that before." She shrugged. "He's under a lot of stress."

"Tell him to get a punching bag."

Zhanshi chuckled. "But seriously Viccori doesn't generally act like this."

"Tell him to pull the stick out of his ass and-" She smacked him, which gave him another dizzy fit of flashbacks. This time he saw Zhanshi, huddled in a corner, rocking backwards and forwards, holding a bottle of some alchohol in her paw. "Sorry." He groaned, coming to his senses.

"He wants the Kingswood." Zhanshi explained.

"Why? I mean like why is he taking it upon himself to beat up every guy that acts slightly suspicious?"

"Because he cares about me." Zhanshi replied simply.

"Riiiiight."

"I'm his one link to normality, to the rest of the world."

 _Riiiiight_ , Zora thought, his head felt like someone had crawled into his skull and was now violently playing the drums within. He decided not knowing about Viccori was better for his mental health. "So how did you two end up... Travelling?"

"Shouldn't you know? After reading his mind you should-"

"It's all jumbled and anyways I don't understand half of it. Well more like any of it. What does he even want?"

"He's motivated by unquenchable curiousity. Just leave it at that."

"But I wanna..." He sighed. "Fine. What about you then? I keep seeing you crysing in some corner with a bottle of-" He noted the darkening of her features and tried to backtrack. "S-sorry! I'll shut up now."

"No... It's fine. I was born in a small farming village on the coast. My parents were expecting a boy and raised me like one. I mean, I knew I was a girl and all but I was treated differently. I was taught how to fight like my ancestors and worked in the fields from dawn till dusk."

"Sounds...peaceful."

"It was. Too peaceful. I always wanted adventure, to see the world, to experience something that was not my tiny village. But my parents forebade it into my early adulthood. To forget my problems I turned to liquid courage... And grew wild and addicted. I was soon drunk half the time and violent whenever I became so. The village feared me. I became an outcast."

For a while she paused. "Then Niccolo came. He did some work on our farm and we became friends. Then one night he asked me if I wanted to come with him and I said yes. We've been travelling ever since. He treated my alchohol problem and well... Here we are."

Zora was tempted to ask how long it took for him and her to become more than 'friends' but decided another smack was not on his wishlist.

"What about you and the tanuki?"

"Me and Pulsar have got... History..."

"I can tell." Zhanshi remarked, deadpanned.

"When I was younger my family were killed by bandits. I promptly managed to kill them. And well taking a life isn't easy. So I was travelling around when I was taken in by Pulsar's family."

"Oh, so you're brothers."

"No! We're friendly acquaintances." He yelled, taking deep breaths."Anyways the tanuki weren't openly hostile or anything, and it helps that I am a protege and all. Then one day, me and Pulsar were going to have a fight in front of the entire clan." Zora crossed his paws over his chest. "He made a giant, wooden version of himself and stuffed me down his dick and into his balls."

Zhanshi's face was easily read as 'what the fuck'.

"It hurt. Not the dick part-but that was really weird too-it hurt that everyone was laughing at me."

He trailed off and lapped into silence.

"Do you know where the bathroom is?" Zora asked suddenly.

Wordlessly, she pointed in the right direction.

Slowly, the kitsune hopped off his bed and walked towards the toilet.

Zhanshi had honestly never heard of anything as ridiculous. Giant wooden dick? She looked over at Pulsar and found him wide awake. "What the hell is wrong with your brain?"

Pulsar shrugged sheepishly. "He kept on bringing up tanuki balls whenever we argued... So call it karma."

Zhanshi frowned. "Why didn't you use a giant wooden version of yourself in either of your fights?" Her time with Viccori had taught her to analyze opponents. Normally, she preffered just tearing them apart, but bed-ridden as she was she was forced to use her mind.

Pulsar frowned. "Zora was there both times. He gets emotional about that 'illegal' jutsu. Anyways, we're just here for the tournament-you can tell your boyfriend that the next time he wants to practice."

Zhanshi chuckled slightly. "I will."

After a while Zora waddled back. Their curiousity satisfied the three fell into a silence.

* * *

Jian entered Qian's room and registered three things very quickly.

Qian was not in his bed.

Qian was not in the room.

But someone else was.

The figure sat relaxing where Qian was meant to be. They seemed to be a dog of some kind, though his ears were like those of a mouse and no dog had whiskers as thick and heavy. His fur was a dark brown, and he wore a pair of black pants, the insignia of the Kingswood stitched on. He laughed at the ferret's sudden tension and rigid stance.

"Maybe you'd prefer this." He grew smaller, his fur turned a lighter shade of brown and then before his eyes the shapeshifter became Qian. "Hey bro!"

Jian darted forwards, drew his dagger and pounced at the pretender. "What did you do to him?" He roared, his weapon threatening to split open the shapeshifter's throat before he could get any answers.

Rikuaoshi chuckled. "He's safe. I could say I didn't harm a hair on his head but that would not be true, strictly speaking."

"Why are you here?" Jian growled.

"Because I believe in brotherly love. The Kingswood are leaving, but holding your twin has left us in a precarious situation. We're not sure what to do you see... So we decided we'd just throw his corpse somewhere noone can see... Now we left someone to deal with him and it just so happens I've got a bone to pick with them, so I was thinking we could work something out."

"Where is he?"

"Press that dagger any deeper and you'll never know, will you?" Jian relented. "Good. Your twin's in the arena. Death is due in an hour. I tell you this under the condition that you leave the Kingswood alone after this."

"Done."

"Good." The Qian-that-was-not-Qian drew a fine grey pellet and hurled it at the floor. The room filled with smoke and when it cleared it was empty.

Jian padded back to grab his gear. _The arena... One hour... I'm coming Qian._

* * *

 _Footnote: Surprise! Qian wasn't actually wounded, instead he was kidnapped by the Kingswood for their sinister plot!_

 _Viccori remains an interesting mystery, and for the sake of that his back story remains more or lessnuntouched. The random Doctor Who joke was irresistible considering the similarities and that the character was somewhat inspired by it._

 _Zhanshi unfortunately has been somewhat underused...hopefully her back story is enough to make up for the fact that most of what she's done is getting hurt or hurting someone for being slightly offensive to the love of her life._

 _Zora and Pulsar have an interesting dynamic, though I admit I'm still a bit iffy about using the Tanuki Balls Incident as their center of conflict... Well nothing too explicit here and I can milk it for jokes so it's not the worst thing ever._

 _Next chapter we head back to Badr's training and get Kick's back story and find out what happened to Qian._

 _Enjoy!_


	38. Skunk's Life

Qian woke up stinking of shit. He had been skunked, it seemed and even his own nose refused to sniff him. His paws were tied together in thick rope and he was locked in a birdcage. He decided he'd undo the rope first.

He had been on his way to the Hospital Wing, to pick up Jian and make him watch his scheduled fight with Badr. He had turned a corner and there had been a blur of black and white and then he remembered no more. As he undid the ropes he began taking in his surroundings.

The room was dark and lit only by a far-off candle. It seemed he was in a kind of kitchen. There was a table of oil not too far away and several cabinets lay before him. He seemed to also be on a table.

He was halfway through his bindings when the door opened and in strolled the massive skunk himself. Fat and wide and clad only in pants. His belly sagged, his buttcheeks, sagged his cheeks sagged... Every inch of him seemed covered in a layer of pudge that jiggled like a tickled child. The skunks fur was predominantly black, though he had a large white stripe travelling down his back and reaching the tip of his tail.

Presently, he grinned, oblivious to the ferret's slow and steady loosenings of the rope.. "Glad you're awake, wouldn't have been half as fun if you didn't squirm."

Qian gulped audibly... He did not like the tone.

* * *

"It's locked." Yue let out a sigh of frustration. She had locked the door earlier, so as not to be interrupted in her reading, and she had left the key...somewhere inside their room.

Pula payed her no mind as she checked the table, under the table, the corners of the room.

Pula had been bothering her too. He had done absolutely nothing except relax on the top bunk, and indeed it was because he did nothing that she was so infuriated.

Pula was a mystery, how he could go from lazy slacker to acrobatic fighter without having a split personality made her mind throb. She spotted the key, lying on her bed. She took it and unlocked the door.

Little did she know that Pula was similarly intrigued. She had gone from bossy loudmouth to cool, calm and collected fighter in less time than it took to say 'noodles'. If he cared he'd have been bombarding her with questions. Like 'what's your name, again?' 'where do you come from?', 'who taught you to fight?', 'why are you competing?'.

Just the fact that he had a list of questions was worrying enough! Did her arrows release a kind of personality-changing toxin? More questions! He was never this curious, about anything. Why did _he_ care?

"Hey." There she was, holding the door open. "Come on. We need to talk."

Did she care? Why couldn't they talk here? Was this a trap? A joke of some kind?

These questions and the thousands that raced through his mind, compelled him to follow.

* * *

Qian was glad the skunk was arrogant, for after a bit of his silvery tongue's work the skunk had started talking.

"Not a lot of people like skunks," Kicks began. The large, bulky male towering above him with that incredibly hungry look in his eye...Qian could see-or rather _smell_ -why some people weren't too keen on skunks...

"Hell even my parents didn't like me! So when I was younger they sold me to the courtisan house. They soon realized I was not a girl, but they decided to keep me anyways. People payed to spend time with me-not because they cared, but because they enjoyed it. They would do things that made me scream, things that made me cry." He chuckled darkly. "I'll give you a firsthand demonstration soon enough."

Qian was not planning on experiencing a firsthand demonstration any time soon. The ropes, he could slip out of, he just needed the brute to turn around for him to pick the lock...

Kicks obliged him, turning around and proceeding to undo his belt. "Eventually... I learned to love it. To crave them when they came, to want them to pick me. I wonder how long it'll take before I break you. Hehehihhihihihihihihi!" The skunk was now fully nude and turning around slowly.

"W-what happened next?"He called.

The skunk paused. "That's classified."

"If you're going to shove me up your ass I doubt I'll be able to spill the beans on you anytime soon. Or ever for that matter." That was what Kicks would want to hear and flattery could help take you a long way.

"Well guess you're right. No harm talking to your toys." He chuckled again and took a cannister of oil from out of the drawers. He proceeded to spill the oil onto his paw and knead it onto his rump.

"One day, someone came for me. I thought it was just another customer... But they wanted to give me something. They held up a phial and said. 'You can take this and take revenge-or you can be fucked for the rest of your days.' And it took me about a second to uncork the phial. Now I don't know who makes these potions-but this one must have picked it on purpose! I grew capable of emitting my stink from anywhere in my body. I learned to release high-powered farts, hehe. I learned to harness the natural potential of my species."

"And did you? Take revenge I mean?" Qian kept his voice from wavering. He was dripping in cold sweat.

"Oh you bet! I loved every moment of it! The way they all pleaded for me to spare them. Hehehihihihi. Let me show you exactly what I did to them." He wheeled around, just as the cage door of the birdcage gave a loud CLICK and swung to the side.

For a short moment neither made a noise, then they both dived.

Qian was slightly quicker and pounced to the side, scampering off the table in record speed as Kicks crashed into the furniture only for it to collapse under his weight. The ferret was out the door before he could even get up.

* * *

The arena was eerily quiet. Not a soul ventured near, not a sound could be heard. It would have scared away anyone, and that was not considering the fact that there was a killer inside. One that had Qian and would be killing him soon. How much of an hour had already passed? How much time did he have left? Would there be others?

Taking a deep, calming breath Jian checked himself, then snuck inside, into the deathly quiet.

* * *

 _Say something!_ Thought Yue. But she did not know a way to start, that would not result in her loosing her temper after he responded in monotone.

 _Talk!_ Thought Pula. But he did not know how to convey his plethora of questions in a way that would not result in her smacking him out the palace.

"So..." Yue started, then decided she'd loose her temper anyways (she could sense a pattern there). "You fight good."

"You too." He said in a voice that was the envy and aspiration of every history teacher everywhere.

"Not as good as me." She added.

"Better." He said, sounding bored.

"How do you know to fight?"

"How do you?" He said, in a voice that cared for nothing.

Yue was thoroughly tempted to yell 'I asked you first'-but she knew the only argument she could win was a physical one. Still she was not going to satisfy his curiosity if he was not going to satisfy hers.

"You go first. I'll tell you after."

"I'll tell you after."

 _After I smack you!_ Calming herself she decided that a small leap if faith had never hurt her if Pula refused to talk she would force it out of him.

"I was born and raised by a military family. Eventually I advanced into an elite archery division... They were killed in an ambush." _There, no details but enough to keep him satisfied!_

 _Military family? So that's why she's so bossy..._

"Your turn." She prompted. "Why are you so... Careless?"

He frowned. She seemed interested, as far as he could tell. "Because I'm bored-" She punched him. Pula landed on his rump. Rubbing his wounded cheek he finished his sentence. "Of the way society treats my kind."

"Oh. Apologies." She declared formally.

"No problem."

The two fell into silence. Which Yue broke a short while later. "How come you entered the tournament? I mean... It's not like you _seem_ care about the outcome."

"Because I'm bored." He said. "And want to get rid of some of my boredom." He added, before she could hit him again.

Silence fell once more.

"You fight good." Yue said.

"You too."

And together, talking occasionaly, the skunk and the cheetah, went for a stroll.

* * *

 _Footnote: There's the Pula and Yue bit, I admit it's kinda hard writing them-it's satisfying though. Personally I like Pula's backstory (and Pula himself a tad bit more than Kicks :P) but when you have two skunks in one story the contrast is somewhat inevitable._

 _Also yeah Qian's not dead-and was never injured. All just a really weird plan by the Kingswood (their plans only make sense because of one character...that says a lot ya know). Now death is probably preferable to whatever Kicks was planning, but it's a good thing Qian is a proffesional escape artist._

 _Next up we have Badr again... Maybe more of Pula and Yue interacting if I get any ideas and Qian and Jian's mini-arc comes to a close._

 _Also this is the most explicit I'll ever get (unless my account gets hacked) don't worry! And finally this fic is upgrading to M. Which I've been saying a lot apparently... But this time it's real!_


	39. Ali Baba, Reunion and Revenge

Badr let out a frustrated growl and threw the puppet strings to the ground. He was exhausted. One entire morning of trying and failing to make a cursed puppet move had drained him of all energy and filled him with rage. "This is stupid! I didn't even _want_ to learn about stupid puppets!"

Chang Shuimian frowned. "Well, I could teach you the duplication technique if you prefer."

"The what?"

The stork placed his wings together and in a puff of smoke there were two Chang Shuimians standing in front of him. Only...

"If I wanted to get naked I could just take my clothes off." Badr snapped.

The stork chuckled, and his duplicate vanished. "Unfortunately I never learned to propel clothes onto my clones. Still, it's a useful technique. People waste all of their chi on 'me' or kill 'me' but the real me is not harmed in the slightest. There are some weaknesses in this technique but I suppose it would be more prudent if we learned the actual technique first."

Badr's face hardened. "Absolutely not. I think I'm good enough without your help."

The stork shrugged. "Fine, have it your way." Chang Shuimian spread his wings and flew away.

Badr sat down and crossed his paws over his chest, his brow furrowed in thought. He would not be going further into the tournament at this rate. All things considered, it was a miracle he had gotten this far already. A'waan and Azam were definitely getting payed a fair ammount for their commentary, and getting to the Third Task and being part of the top ten... surely he had won some prize money? And maybe even some popularity from the public. If he withdrew now then he could just watch the rest of the tournament and cheer for someone who could win. Like Duyao or Vicoori, instead of stressing over fighting someone like Duyao or Viccori.

He sighed. He would go down in history as a coward, but in the end of the day it was better to be a living coward than a dead hero.

"Badr Ajam." Greeted the lynx.

"What do you want?" He had no doubt that Mr Wo had come to him at Chang Shuimian's insistence, though how the stork had managed to get word to him so quickly was beyond him.

"I'd like to meet with your father, if that's alright."

"Why?" His father was nothing special... unless it was about him?

Mr Wo raised an eyebrow. "Well, his reputation is legendary. I'm a big fan of his work."

"His work?" His father had never had a job proper.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Qadim Ajam, Slayer of the Forty Thieves. The legendary Ali Baba. Surely you've heard stories of him?"

"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves?" What idiot would make up a story like this? "Don't pull my leg, if my dad was legendary we wouldn't be living in some dump-yard-"

"But your father saw something like Han before, remember? He recognized Han. Didn't he?"

"He... said he'd seen something like it before. That could mean he read a story or saw a toy demon or-"

"He's Ali Baba."

"He's not."

"Do you even know the story?"

"No and it doesn't matter-"

"Long ago, in a land far to the west, there lived two brothers. One was a lumberjack, who chopped wood day after day. The other was a merchant, who sold the wood day after day. Eventually the two grew apart. The lumber lived a simple life, while the merchant grew fat and rich in the city of Ashtar."

Badr rolled his eyes. "I have better things to hear than your bedtime stories." He stood up, and found his legs pinned by thick walls of amethyst.

"Apologies, but you must know the truth."

Before Badr could protest the amethyst crept over his mouth, silencing his protests.

"One day the lumber was chopping down some trees near the Forest of Yarrikan, when he spotted a group of rugged animals standing before the cliffside. One sliced open his paw, and smeared his blood in a circle, and the stone fell off and in walked the group. Curious, the cat waited for them to leave, before he walked forwards, sliced open his paw, and smeared the blood in a circle. Inside, he found vast stores of treasure. He took what he needed for the day and left. Eventually, however the thieves found that someone had stolen from them. So they took the blood smeared on the cliff, and traced it back to his brother, by some unfortunate accident. They slaughtered him, and left his corpse hanging from the walls, declaring that noone could dare do battle against the Forty Thieves. Of course, our hero the lumber soon learned of what had come to pass, and from then on began learning the art of combat. The sword, the whip, the mace, the spear, he learned them all, and one day, when he was ready and the thieves were old, he returned to the cave, and slaughtered them all. The gold was his to do what he wanted with."

The amethyst sunk back into the earth. Badr frowned. "My dad can't fight to save his life, and if he had a whole cave full of treasure we wouldn't be living in some shitty house. Go bother someone else!"

"Where do you think you got your chi from? Power like this only comes once in a while you know."

"What chi? I've done nothing this entire tournament except get lucky. Stop acting like I have some secret power nobody knows about."

"You have the Deathworm. You have potential. You have a puppet. Didn't Chang give you a candy?"

"No and I'm not eating anything from you or him. Just admit it, you two want me for something! That's why you got rid of the ferret. The ferret I was meant to fight. The one that would have beaten me!"

"Qian? I had nothing to do with his unfortunate injury. If you don't want help that's fine. But let me first demonstrate what you are missing out on." He withdrew a small, red ball and bit into it. He chewed casually, swallowed, then raised his arm. The puppet lifted it's arm. Mr Wo swung, the puppet swung. Mr Wo kicked, the puppet kicked.

Badr's jaw dropped. "H-how are you-"

"These sweets hold pure chi. Eat one and you'll get a boost of extra power. Never mind controlling chi, take one of these and you'll have enough to use easily in any way you want."

"Pure chi? How do you get 'pure chi'?" There was still something here that felt suspicious.

"The process is complicated." Mr Wo brushed away the question. He then held out another red sweet. "Now, would you like to try?"

Without thinking, Badr snatched the sweet and swallowed.

* * *

The arena was deathly silent. Qian scurried down endless corridors, careful not to make a noise. He may have gotten out of the wok, but if he wasn't careful he would end up in the fire. Or up a skunk's butt...not that either option appealed to him anyways. He wondered briefly what the time was while considering his options. When he got out he would still have to tread carefully, there was no saying who or what awaited him outside, and where one madman went the others followed... The corridors continued to hold their silence.

* * *

He felt it rushing through him like hot blood. He felt his fur stand on edge and his teeth chatter. He felt his paws and legs shiver in anticipation. He felt power. Total, complete, unlimited, power. Badr raised his paw, willing subconsciously for the puppet to do the same, and it did so. He remembered the displays of strength he had seen over the past few days, and lashed out in a flurry of clumsy kicks and punches. He was faster, he felt stronger, and despite the lack of accuracy or display of good technique he felt like a master already.

"This is _awesome!_ " He whooped with joy, bringing his fist into the earth with deadly force. He unleashed his claws, and slashed the air wildly, watching with glee as the lion puppet-thing did the same.

"I'm glad you like it." The lynx grinned. "Regrettably these are very hard to acquire. And you must only use one at a time, or else your body won't be able to deal with the strength."

"Screw the rules, I'm amazing! Haha!" The black cat grinned, and swung twice more, then did a clumsy roundhouse kick. He finished with two downward slashes of his claws.

The lynx watched Badr enjoy the power that traveled through him. Another piece of the puzzle...

* * *

Jian was careful to not make a sound as he traveled through the corridors in search of his brother. Still no sight of Qian... had an hour passed? No, definitely not, he had been as fast as possible on purpose. He was surprised by the lack of guards, and the complexity of it all bugged him. If it was a trap, why did the Kingswood go to such great length to get him to walk into it? If they wanted him dead they could have left more than one person in Qian's room. If they wanted him to do something than they could have simply told him about it. But why an hour? And why in the arena? And why were they even killing Qian in the first place? Unfortunately the walls could not answer him.

Jian turned a corner.

And bumped into something exactly the same height as him, that was almost identical to him save for the lighter shade of brown, the whole eyes and the smell.

In short he had found Qian. In the brief moment of joy he almost forgot about everything and burst out an exclamation of 'Qian'.

Luckily his twin placed a paw over his mouth.

'Crazy skunk trying to rape me. Nice to see you too. Missed you and all, but that can all wait for until we're out of here.' He mouthed.

Jian nodded. 'Follow me.' He mouthed back. The two turned round to leave through the silent corridor, only to find that the skunk standing there was not being very quiet.

"Heh, thought you could escape me? Pretty dumb on your part. Then again, you won't need to do much thinking for the rest of your lives, just wriggling and squirming and preferably pleading. Oh I love it when you beg. You see back when I was the victim I felt so powerless, like something not worth knowing or caring about. Now that I'm in power and the positions are reversed." He grinned wickedly. "I love the sensation of power and strength, the _dominance_ of feeling you petty people disappear up my-"

Jian shot three darts at him in rapid succession, causing the fat skunk to fall flat on his stomach in front of them. "That was... anti-climatic."

"He talked _way_ too much." Qian agreed. "Good news though, we can now have our happy reunion!"

Jian frowned at him. "You were kidnapped, impersonated, skunked, and imprisoned. Don't you think now is kind of a time to-"

"See things your way? I'm fine with two eyes thanks."

Jian sighed. He had seen this coming.

"Now instead of being so serious and depressed..." Qian pounced forwards and wrapped his brother in a hug. "I missed you so much man!"

Jian was literally getting strangled. "Qian...get off!"

"Aw come on man, I haven't seen you in two days. Besides noone's going to see and I'm sure your reputation as the big bad ferret is still intact."

"It's not that. And when have I ever called myself the 'big bad ferret'? It's just... you stink."

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

* * *

Lee woke up with a groan, and immediately wanted to break something. In fact he would have if his paws weren't pinned to his side by several ridiculously tight bandages. His legs were the same.

"It's for your own good you know." Duyao said solemnly. "I could have killed you."

"Like you killed my mum. My dad. My life. I really don't see why you chose to draw the line on me of all people."

Duyao stared at her feet. "You know the thing about revenge is that when it hooks you, you become obsessed with it. You just want that person to suffer like you did. You don't consider that they have family, people who care about them. No, they aren't another person to you, just a vessel for your anger."

Lee opened his mouth to argue, but Duyao held her arm up for explanation.

"Justice and revenge tread a very thin line together. In fact, from some points of view they are one and the same thing. One just sounds better. I'm not acting like I'm above hating and being consumed by hatred, noone is. I'd just like to explain my standing point to someone who I see myself in."

"I am nothing like you!"

"Really? I wouldn't be so sure. I was the adopted daughter of my village's healer. I was sixteen and my life was all set to be good. I was beautiful so marriage was not a problem if that's what I wanted, or I could take over the healing business from my father if that's what I wanted. I didn't have a care in the world. Not until one night, a few boys got a bit drunk and decided I was a good catch. I'd describe what they did to me but you're too young to know and anyways I passed out halfway through. I woke up, in my home, on my bed. I hurt like hell all over, but everything was back to normal. I didn't want to come for breakfast until I convinced myself that it could have all been a dream. That's when I walked in and found my father dead, with a knife in his stomach and a blanket draped over him. I, like you, left town and found myself a place to grow. The Drops Temple of the Imperial City was ideal for my goals. I grew stronger there, much stronger. There was a ceremony, I performed it, and then I was ready. I found them all, one by one. And I killed them one by one. And every time I ticked one off my list, I found my need for revenge lessened. I didn't care as much when they were dead. And it was only after I knocked off all of them that I realized I made a mistake. I didn't see them as people. I saw their faces and hated them the whole time. I didn't realize they were just as confused as I was. Most likely they realized what they were doing after I passed out. So they brought me home. My father found out, he probably flew into a rage and then accidents happened. The knife was in him before any of them realized who did it. And then it was too late, they couldn't cover any of it up. They were scared. Maybe they hoped I'd wake up and find him and get help. But they left the blanket over him and the knife in him and left. They were more scared on that night than they were when I killed them."

Lee glared at her. He could see where she was coming from... and hated her for it. "And my mum?"

"Accidents happen."

"Get. Out." Lee seethed.

Duyao nodded. "Hope you get well soon."

He struggled frantically to hurl something at her, but was pinned too tightly. The door closed and he felt tears run down his cheeks. He hated her. He hated her! And now... he was confused.

* * *

 _Footnote: Yeeeeaaaah, I admit killing Kicks so quickly was kind of a cop-out... but there's more to that later. While writing a fight with him would be fun he doesn't have much of a way to fight solo and either way he was significantly outclassed.  
_

 _If you want I can continue their mini-arc with a fight with Kicks, but I'm not too sure about it. Whatever the readers want, says I!_

 _This chapter is full of ironies and a lot of subtle things that some of you may pick up. Not all of them are directly involved with this story though..._


	40. Task Number Three

Badr lay on the ground, taking in deep, contented breaths. This was going to be great. He was going to win the tournament now. Even Mr Wo said that he could handle pretty much anyone, and had only warned him about facing Viccori. While the story of Ali Baba bugged him to some extent, he still had doubts that a) his father had been a warrior, and b) that he was rich. Most likely they just had a similar-sounding name. He still had a few days till the task began, which he would use to properly arm the puppet, with blades of all kinds, maybe even a smoke-projector, crossbows. He had a super weapon in his paws, and he fully intended to take advantage of it. As he lay on the grass, he couldn't help but think that he was the happiest cat alive.

* * *

"I had fun." Said Saphire, as they walked back into the Palace, stifling yawns. It was well-past nightfall.

Han belched. "I ate too much." He said, by way of sheepish apology.

"Yeah. Thirty-five stuffed dumplings was overdoing it. One must sometimes question whether the eyes or the mouth do the real eating."

"Thank you for your infallible wisdom. Hic- I'm glad-hic- that you gave it-hic- _after_ I made that-hic mistake."

Tianqi shrugged. "I told you you were being ridiculous. And to be fair you ordered fifty-seven."

"Well, at least we gave them to someone who needed them." Said Saphire, pacifying the two of them.

"I need to sleep." Tianqi said simply. "Goodnight. Maybe we'll do this again some day."

"Goodnight Tianqi-hic."

"You should drink some water." The white cat advised as they walked further along the moonlit grounds.

"Not after a meal. It leads to-hic- indigestion."

Saphire giggled. She had drank a bit too much, and swayed ever-so-slightly with each step. "Well, I should probably go to sleep by now."

"Yeah. Goodnight." He waved awkwardly.

He was so nice... as were the grounds and the grass, and the moon and her head was fuzzy. He looked...soft.

"Hey, you know Tianqi's right, we should really do this again sometimes. And I don't mean as in making you pay for the food, I mean you did volunteer and I don't want you thinking I only like you for your money. No you're a nice person and-"

She kissed him. It was a small thing that lasted for half a second and was over as soon as he realized what she had done. She pulled away in a hurry, her cheeks flushing red. "I... really should go to sleep..." And with that she turned with a wave and swayed away.

Han stood there gawping for half an hour. She had kissed him. Had it even been a kiss? What on earth did it mean? Then all the possible implications hit him full-force and Han fainted clear away.

* * *

 _Several days later..._

* * *

Badr woke up feeling fresh and excited. Today the Third Task would begin, and he was confident he could advance without any difficulties. All Viccori and Duyao had done was punch stuff, Misty's water techniques were only powerful against the little ferret, Cat was arrogant and stupid. Pula and Yue had almost disqualified each other. Tianqi was only a threat because his proverbs would cringe him to death. Victory was practically his already! He had several of the chi sweets stored in his pockets, he still had Chang Shuimian's pellet thing, whatever it was, and now he had a fully-functional, armed-to-the-teeth puppet, complete with katanas and launching tridents. This was going to be a great day!

There had been some changes apparently. The Kingswood had vanished without a trace, though one of it's members had been recovered by the ferret twins, who were experiencing lavish pleasure due to the generosity of their hosts. However, said member was in no fit state to give any answers due to an apparent overdose of some kind of drug. Really if the Kingswood were that stupid it was no wonder an idiot like Han had managed to evade them for so long.

Presently, it was early morning, and after some quick stretches and a light breakfast, Badr had decided to set off for the arena earlier than anyone else.

"Hey Badr!"

"Han." Badr replied politely, as they made their way towards the arena. Badr had been hoping to be there alone but the wolverine had seemingly been waiting for him.

"I was waiting for you."

"That's... nice-"

"I am of course rooting for you. I mean Viccori's my roommate and all, but he's kinda creepy, and his potions taste like... uh they're horrible, just don't drink his potions! So yeah, I hope you do good. I mean, you're obviously going to do good, how can you not? I mean-"

"Okay Han, you can shut up now."

Han shut up. For the entirety of three seconds. Then he began speaking about what was _really_ on his mind.

"What do you think of Saphire?"

"Who?"

"The host's daughter."

"Oh." Badr had forgotten about her. She had looked beautiful...but that had been a while ago and anyways she didn't seem very friendly. What Han had to do with her was beyond him. "Well, she looks good."

"Yeah I think so too, I mean I don't stare at her or anything, but she has got nice...fur, and she's nice. It was me, her and Tianqi and we were eating food and I was thinking 'does she like me?'."

Badr couldn't stop the laughter exploding out of him. "Like you? Why would she like you?"

Han looked momentarily hurt. "You know you're just as tall as me now." He said as way of diverting the subject.

"Good to know."

Han scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah... I guess you're right. It's just that after I got injured she came to visit me and we talked a bit and then her mom came and said 'you don't have dance lessons' which means she lied to her mom about having dance lessons, right? Which means that she lied to her mom to see me, which means she likes me, right? And anyways then we were talking about her favorite colour, and she said she likes red, and I thought, when I turn into a demon-thing, my fur goes red, which means she was probably talking about my fur. So if she likes my fur it could possibly mean that she likes me, right? And anyways she kissed me. I know she was a bit drunk and we haven't spoken since-"

"Han-" Not even Badr knew what he would have said after that.

"You're right. She doesn't like me. I was being... silly. I mean, your sister's nice to me, but she doesn't like like me. I guess I came up with this theory because I maybe, kind of, sort of, perhaps, just a little, like her."

Badr didn't even have time to say anything before Han launched into a flurry of excuses.

"I mean I know she's older than me, and you know, rich and privileged and has got a mom and lives in a palace, but I thought that she was nice to me, and well... not many people are. I mean a lot are, to my face, but I don't even know what they think about me, and I bet a lot of people laugh about me behind my back. I mean, the loser Han, can't even get past an armored cat. Heh, I don't want you to think I have self-esteem issues- because I definitely don't hehe, that's funny. And, and, and... yeah, I like Saphire Tamod. I think it's love and I think she likes me back, but I don't know enough about that to tell."

"Why are you telling me this?" Badr asked, now genuinely interested.

"Well, we're friends aren't we? I mean I lived at your house, we sparred a bit-hey we should spar sometime! I bet you learned a lot since coming here! Hey Badr you dropped this!"

He reached over and picked up a little red pellet, before freezing up in horror at what lay in his paw.

"Where did you get this?"

"Give it back!" Snapped Badr. Why did Han follow him around everywhere?

"Badr, this-this is evil it's it's not right. You can't-"

Badr snatched the pellet from his paw. "Winning is right and I fully intend to win. Spare me the lecture Han."

"Badr that's evil! Did you get it from the Kingswood?"

"No! I don't have anything to do with the Kingswood. And what do you mean evil? How is _this_ evil?"

Han opened his mouth to reply and was clutching his head weakly a moment later. "I... can't explain. Badr please, don't use that. Please, I'm begging you, do _not_ use that-"

 _"Why?"_

"Just don't!"

Then it clicked. "You don't want me to win."

"No! Badr that's-"

But Badr was not listening and a rage like none other had swept over him. "Leave me alone! Why are you following me everywhere? Since the beginning of this tournament you've been tagging me like some dumb dog. _Fuck off._ I don't _want_ you. I don't _need_ you. You are nothing to me. Do _not_ tell me what I can and can't do for my family!"

"B-but Badr-"

"We are _not_ friends! Leave me alone! How many times do I have to tell you?"

Han stood there, his mouth slightly agape, staring with bewilderment in his eyes as the words came flying out Badr's mouth. They were not sharp. They were not particularly strong. But they cut deeper than any blade could.

Badr turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Han there, to gape like the idiot he was. No doubt he'd be back in an hour, all bubbly and cheerful. His anger, that had sprung up and lashed out like a serpent a moment earlier, had subsided and was now laying peacefully.

* * *

During the wolverine's constant babbling Badr had not noticed the arena looming near above him. He walked in through the wide-open competitors gate. He was unsurprised to find the Red Rogue there, meditating in the sand. What he was surprised to see, were the ferret twins. Jian, the scarred one, was sitting in the stands, but the one without a scar, Qian was clicking his knuckles repeatedly.

"Oh hey!" He called, waving cheerfully at the black cat.

"Why are you here?" Badr asked, not-so-politely. Evidently he was still in a bad mood.

"Oooooh, not very friendly. Well since you asked." He did a little throat clear, and in a near-perfect imitation of Mrs Tamod's high-pitched voice spoke the following. "'Due to exemplary service to the House of Tamod's staff, and fellow competitors. As well as the valuable apprehension of a dangerous criminal, you will be allowed through to the next task on a special condition.'" He did a little giggle. "I love her voice, so squeaky."

Badr wanted to point out that Qian himself had a voice that could not honestly be called deep.

"So yeah, I'm back in. Better watch out!"

Badr's face hardened. This ferret thought he could beat him, eh? Well... he'd show him!

"Good luck. You're going to need it."

"I like my chances." Said Qian, the grin still firmly plastered on his face.

* * *

Eventually the arena began filling up. The rest of the competitors arrived. Badr was becoming more and more restless by the minute. He needed to show off his strength. He needed the roar the crowd had given to everyone else. He was desperate for it.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen! Good morning to aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall of you! Now today what we're gonna be doing is going to be epic!"_

 _"Awesome!"_

 _"Instead of just five fights, we're going to give you... unlimited! That's right folks, today is a full on fight fiesta that goes on all day!"_

 _"Lunch and snacks will be provided, don't worry."_

 _"It goes like this. We pick two names out of a box. These two competeitors then have an epic match which we comment on and you watch."_

 _"The match goes on until either one of us decides on a clear winner. When we have selected our winner, the match is over. However, we won't be selecting a winner until after at least ten minutes of combat so that all of you get the awesome matches you deserve."_

 _"And payed twenty-five yuan for!"_

 _"If you are defeated before the time then you're out for the count and can go back to wherever you came from!"_

 _"However, this is all really cool, but the House of Tamod can only have one winner-"_

 _"I'm looking at you Badr!"_

 _"And after every match, a team of specially-selected judges will be granting competitors the points they deserve. And they are of course, us, Mrs Tamod, and the legendary-"_

 _"And we mean legendary-"_

 _"MASTER FLYING RHINO!"_

 _"Honestly we're really big fans!"_

 _"Huge. If I could afford it, we'd have tattoos of you on our chests!"_

Badr facepalmed. But was inwardly glad of the promise of unlimited action. This would be a great time to show off what he was capable of!

 _"Only four competitors will be going through however, so by the end of the day the four competitors with the most points go through to Task Four, or as I like to call it- THE SEMMMISSS!"_

 _"Now let battle commence!"_

* * *

Master Flying Rhino chuckled at the tattoo comment. "Where on earth did you find these two?"

"They're related to one of the competitors, and used that as leverage to get the job." Mrs Tamod wanted to add that she completely regretted hiring them, and would have either given commentary herself or scrapped the whole thing rather than listen to the two of them making a mockery of her tournament. However, the rhino master spoke quicker.

"You have good taste."

"They really are delightful, aren't they?" She smiled. Secretly though, she was worried. One of the Kingswood had been captured... and she still didn't know how this affected her...

* * *

Han sat himself down as far away from Badr's family as was possible. They probably thought of him the same as Badr anyways...

"Han, what's wrong?" Asked Lee. The rabbit was wrapped in so many bandages it was almost comical, but Han was too sad to find anything funny.

"Nothing." He said glumly.

Lee frowned. It was definitely something. But he decided it wasn't his job to nose in on it. After all, Han had not asked him why he was in so many bandages.

* * *

"I just want Cat to loose." Said Zora, slightly too loudly, drawing stares from the rest of the competitors. "I'm not salty! It's just I was _so_ close to beating him! _This much!_ He won by _this much!_ " He indicated the minuscule space between his two claws.

Pulsar chuckled. "He gets salty."

* * *

Viccori clicked his knuckles. Although to the outside world he was as calm and as collected as ever, inside a burning rage was building up, one that would hopefully, soon be satisfied. He was going to get Kuufu. He was going to get Alpha. And he was going to make them feel a whole lot of pain.

* * *

Yue checked her quiver. All her arrows were there. Her longbow was ready. Pula was standing next to her. Looking bored.

"Good luck." She said politely, not making eye contact.

"You too." He replied, looking the other way.

Qian suddenly popped his face between them. "You know, the two of you should really quit with the sexual tension and bang already. Saves time, you know."

He would have received five throwing knives to the heart and an arrow to the head had he not escaped with a cackle.

* * *

Tianqi checked his scrolls. Good, all weapons ready. It was time to show the world what he could do, and that ferals were not monsters, and neither were children born from them.

* * *

"Good luck Misty!" Said Cat.

"You too! Hopefully we get some good matches."

"Oh please, the only good match here is me and you!" Said the cheetah with a playful wink.

Misty grinned. "More like _me_ and _you._ " Said Misty, drawing him closer for a kiss.

Only for Qian to throw a smoke bomb between them, leaving the two coughing and spluttering. "Sorry, but you should keep stuff like that for the bedroom." With another cackle he left before either could react.

Up at the stands Jian sighed. At this rate Qian would be about as popular as Alpha...

* * *

 _"Aaaaaaaaaaaaand the first match of tooooooooooooooooday is:_

 _"Badr Ajam!"_

Badr almost jumped for joy.

 _"Qian!"_

Qian and Badr locked eyes, both wearing the gleeful grins of someone confident of victory.

* * *

 _Footnote: And thus begins Task Three! I tested out the original system in House of Tamod and didn't like it so much, so I tweaked it a little here, to put more emphasis on the fighting rather than the judging. Also yeah, I saw an opportunity to put Qian back into the fray and took it. Coz now that the match is a little more even and the looser isn't necesarilly out for the count we can get Badr vs Qian as previously promised.  
_

 _More mystery, more intrigue. And best of all, upcoming action._

 _Now the pacing feels a bit awkward mainly due to the fact that the Han-kiss was meant to be the end of another chapter- but I couldn't find anything to draw it out, and felt it wasn't too important to draw out anyways._

 _Now that I think about it, and this isn't canon even in my world (though that could possibly change) Tigress' treatment stinks of feral parents. It explains why she has expressed no desire (that I remember) in three movies to find them (she knows where they are, and that they aren't well normal), it explains why (aside from being a tiger and monster-strength) the other orphans feared her. The child of a feral would most often be considered a monster. Also why doesn't Po mention her parents to the kids in Secrets of the Furious Five, either he doesn't know, or doesn't know how to explain ferality to the children (in a way that ya know, won't get him beaten up). So this isn't canon in my world or KFP, but it's an interesting theory which I may or may not expand on depending on proof (or lack thereof)._

 _And now I've made you all go and forget the chapter itself XD (Which is arguably a good thing since you may have forgotten some finer details :P)_


	41. No Need To Fret Over Ferrets

Badr withdrew a pellet. Mr Wo had been nice enough to seal the Thing into one for ease of transport. He crushed it in his paw, and watched the Thing, as he had decided to call the wooden lion-puppet, materialize in front of him. He then withdrew one of the sweets, and swallowed it whole.

 _"Oooooh, our little brother has been learning some stuff I see."_

 _"Will it be enough to beat this sneaky ferret?"_

* * *

"Oh my god daddy, where did Badr get that?"

"I'm curious about that myself." Qadim gave a pointed look at Chang Shuimian who shrugged.

"I'm out of the running, why not help someone who's got a solid reason for being here?"

Qadim had no reply to that, but his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Something suddenly seemed off, and upon looking back Chang Shuimian's kindness had been...too good to be true.

* * *

Qian, for his part, looked unphased by the sudden appearance, and withdrew a dagger.

* * *

Up at the stands Han whimpered and refused to watch. Badr had no idea what he was doing...

Lee glanced nervously at the wolverine, now covering both his eyes. He held his tongue however, it was not his business.

* * *

 _"Fight!"_

The Thing swung down at the ferret with an arm that was half wood, half blade. Qian skipped backwards, parrying the next swing as it came at him. He twisted around, rolled away from a stomp of the puppet's foot, and ducked again as the bladed arm came back round to meet him. Qian was unable to dodge the subsequent kick that flung him across the arena. Seizing his opportunity, the Thing tore forwards and stabbed down with deadly precision. He missed due to Qian's rolling away in time. The ferret followed up by scampering up the puppet's arm, and resting casually on it's shoulder, where he proceeded to blow a raspberry.

Badr's eye twitched in annoyance and he let out a small growl. How dare this insignificant wretch mock him! The Thing swung down at the ferret, missed, and dug into the wood of the puppet's shoulder.

"Missed me!" Qian teased.

The Thing tried again, and the blade sunk into the top of the lion's head.

"Missed me again!"

 _"Come on Badr!"_

 _"Don't take that!"_

 _"Knock him out already!"_

 _"We're not biased by the way. Totally unbiased."_

Badr growled loudly now, and tried to pull the arms free from the strength of his mental prowess alone. Unfortunately for him his mental prowess was not as tough as the wood. He settled for shaking Qian off, before trying another stomp. He missed. He tried again. He missed. A third time. He missed.

Qian lay on his back, looking like he had not a care in the world as Badr repeatedly hit the sand he rolled away from. The lion puppet then bent forwards, going in for a headbutt. It missed. Then to his surprise Qian flung something small at him. The small thing exploded right in his face, blinding him temporarily. He rubbed desperately to try and get the light out of his eyes, but nothing he did worked.

* * *

"How can he control a puppet with no strings?" Ai wondered aloud.

"Mental prowess. Your brother is quite extraordinary at it." Chang complimented, furthering Qadim's suspicions. And where did Badr even get the idea to participate in a Kung Fu Tournament? And where was Han?

* * *

Meanwhile, Qian got to work on the puppet, scrambling around it he sliced neatly at the thin wires holding all the limbs together. Then he sat down atop the lion's head and waved merrily at the black cat.

The crowd laughed. Badr's eyes watered as he regained his vision, and his eyes narrowed into an intense glare of hatred. He was going to tear this ferret apart for that!

He swung the Thing's head, and watched in horror as the puppet fell apart in front of him. Qian grinned, hopping off of the now-collapsed puppet parts. "While you were busy tearing up, I decided to cut some strings, if you know what I mean."

An anger like the one he had had at being followed by Han surged through him. "I'm going to _kill you!_ "

* * *

Han whimpered again. There it was. The consumption of the mind. Little by little Badr would go mad if he continued using the pellets. This madness was manifested through anger, short-sightedness, sudden mood-swings and a tendency to ignore blatant facts in favour of his beliefs. It also gave one a ridiculous sense of euphoria and confidence. He had to do something about it! But Badr... he wouldn't listen. And they weren't even friends...

"Han, are you sure you're okay?" Lee asked, worriedly chewing on his lip.

The wolverine wasn't listening. This always happened to him. He had thought the Lin Kuei were his friends, but the wolves had only wanted to use him, or feared him, and he didn't know which was worse. Prowler had been a friend, but he was dead now, and the Kingswood... Kicks had been a sort of friend, Han had been the only one not annoyed by him (probably because he didn't have a sense of smell). Howler had sparred with him almost daily. Stones had taught him almost everything he knew. And yet in the end they had all wanted to kill him. And he didn't even know why. He hadn't done anything, he hadn't said anything. But they had tried to kill him. And now Badr, and the Ajams. He had stayed with them, laughed with them. Bought them sumptuous foods to pay for his stay. But now they hated him too...

"Han? Hello? Haaaaan?" Lee was poking him. Han ignored him. He didn't need friends anyways. He'd leave after the Third Task was over... maybe find a cave, or a pit to live in...

* * *

Badr's paws clenched into fists and without thinking he dug into his pocket and freed a pellet. The same one Chang Shuimian had given him earlier, the same one he had refused to use. Now he crushed it in his paw, and watched in anticipation. He expected another puppet to materialize, but there was nothing there.

Qian removed his blow dart. "Don't worry. My poison isn't fatal. Ever." He pressed the dart to his lips, aimed at Badr- and was promptly swallowed whole when a large beak snapped shut over him.

 _"What the hell?"_

 _"Where did that thing come from?"_

 _"Is that allowed?"_

* * *

Almost every eye widened in shock.

"Where did he get that?" Viccori asked, his anger momentarily halted by his sudden curiosity. A Deathworm was a rare thing, a species long since considered extinct and faded into legend. Of course, Viccori had read scrolls on the subject, and had even managed to study the properties of it's tough, outer shell, albeit briefly. But he had never seen a live one before.

"I leant it to him." Chang Shuimian replied simply. "Within the Drops such encounters of the otherwise supernatural aren't uncommon. Though I admit this is to my knowledge the only existing specimen of this species. I was lucky enough to procure it in my travels through Mongolia."

"Woah, that's awesome! But, is Badr just going to let it eat the ferret?" Ai asked worriedly.

Noone could give her an honest reply to that, but Qadim comforted her anyways. "Of course not. Badr would never do that."

* * *

It was a large-ish thing, about the size of a big snake. Fat and long, and covered in hundreds of plates of thick hide. It's tail was tipped with a large, black spike, and it's mouth had a beak made up of four triangular segments that joined into a pyramid-like shape, behind which it had rows of hundreds of small, sharp teeth. It currently had a small, struggling bulge around it's middle.

Badr's jaw dropped, and he froze in fear as it slithered towards him. He fully expected to receive a deadly bite, and was wondering when the tournament staff would intervene. To his surprise the worm thing merely did a little belch, Qian's blow dart falling at his feet. The worm then curled up around Badr's legs.

* * *

On the inside Qian found himself squished into the tight, hot and sandy stomach of the beast. He managed to cling on to his dagger, and despite the lack of air and cramped conditions, began slicing the flesh that entrapped him. Green blood oozed freely, and clung onto his fur like goo. But being clean had never really been one of his top priorities, and right now all he wanted was to not end up as worm food.

* * *

Jian, unsurprisingly, wanted this as well. He hopped over the barrier, into the arena and marched forwards. As he approached, the Deathworm reared it's head back and hissed. He didn't care.

"You give him back right now!" He withdrew a dagger. "Or I will carve the both of you up like mincemeat!"

The worm hissed again and slithered over to him, head raised and ready to be brought down on the ferret. Suddenly though, it began convulsing violently, coughing and writhing in pain. Jian waited for the inevitable attack, preparing to stab his dagger through the soft flesh on the inside of it's mouth. He expected an attack, but a green blood-coated Qian being spat out on top of him wasn't something he could have foreseen.

Qian sucked in the air gratefully, not noticing that he was on top of his twin. "Okay kitty, I'm done going easy on you!"

Badr's eyes widened as the ferret darted forwards before he could react, dagger drawn and at the ready. The Deathworm was in too much pain to help, the puppet had fallen apart, he was suddenly frozen in fear. His belt was sliced in one clean move, and down fell Badr's pants, revealing some old and unclean underwear. Badr's face went red hot, and he scrambled to pull them back up, but his opponent tripped him. The black cat fell on his face, and Qian leaned casually on the top of his head, dagger pointed down at him.

 _"Winner Qian!"_ The commentators shouted, genuinely worried their brother was in mortal peril.

 _"Now it's time for the judging! Full marks from us!"_

Master Flying Rhino grinned. "The flash bomb was a good trick, and you demonstrated effective use of a dagger. Seven points."

Mrs Tamod frowned. "Six." She said simply.

 _"Total twenty three out of thirty! Not a bad bench-mark!"_

 _"No not at all. We were all rooting for you ferret!"_

 _"Yeah! Please point that dagger away from our brother!"_

Qian chuckled, and hopped off Badr, letting the black cat get up and scramble to pull his pants up.

"You should be glad I'm not my twin." Qian joked, not noticing that Jian was right behind him. "He'd have knocked you out without a second thought."

"And I suppose you're so much better." Badr spat. "You'll just humiliate me."

"Yup! And I _am_ much better. I'm nice, and friendly and have a sense of humour. Jian though, he's bossy, and grumpy and has a stick so far up his-"

"Qianxing!"

Qian turned round, still grinning. "Oh hey Jian, didn't see you there." He booped his nose, drawing an even further irritated look from his brother. "Were you worried about me?" He teased, only to be grabbed by the front and dragged off the arena.

"You are going to get yourself killed. I told you don't waste your time with your shenanigans, but you just couldn't listen, could you? One day Qian this irresponsible behaviour is going to get you killed-"

"See! I told you he was no fun." Qian mouthed back to the still-angry Badr.

 _"You were great Badr!"_

 _"Yeah man, just a bad match-up!"_

Badr growled. He was thoroughly tempted to try and attack the ferret from behind, but decided against it.

"That was very impressive." Mr Wo commented. The lynx pulled the Deathworm back into a pellet, and handed it back to Badr. "They grow in a very... odd patterns, Deathworms. But as far as I know they can potentially expand limitlessly. Be careful with that one. As for your puppet. Don't worry, I'll fix it for you before your next match." With that the lynx walked away and took the puppet-parts with him.

Badr walked off to the stands, his anger subsiding.

* * *

 _"Right, well I think this calls for Match Two! And fighting weeeeeeeeeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave!"_

 _"Cat!"_

 _"And Misty!"_

Cat jumped into the air and did a little whoop of joy, before jumping into the arena and assuming his stance. Misty was slower, and took the stairs. She smirked at him.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you!" She said with a wink.

Cat grinned. "Let's not waste all our energy though, there are a lot of people here that I also want to fight."

"Me too." Said the otter, and with that they swapped stances.

* * *

Badr sat down next to Xiao Bao, who promptly gave him a warm paw on the shoulder. He frowned up at his older sister.

"You may have lost that match Badr. But I reckon now that you've got a fighting chance."

Badr grinned. "Oh, I know I do." He felt the chi-sweets in his pockets. He still had three, good. He had enough for three matches...

Qadim frowned inwardly. Badr had never exerted this much confidence before. Something about him had...changed.

* * *

 _Footnote: Badr at prime could probably kill Qian. I say probably because Badr is still an idiot and is prone to getting outsmarted (by Han Guan of all people...) In fact it's up for debate as to whether he could beat Qian even at prime (it sounds like I'm stretching it but not really if you consider Badr's Match History...). My characters are pretty even when it comes to 'strength levels' (that's not to say that others aren't it's just talking exclusively about characters I own). While Badr has got impressive and powerful techniques he is often blinded by rage/confidence/stupidity and is not that smart. If Qian got him at the level he was in when he was finally defeated then I don't doubt the ferret would win. Here though the reasoning is a bit different. Badr is not used to puppeteering or fighting in general. His only real fighting was in the Fist Task and he still only got through that one by luck. The Deathworm is smaller here, and less powerful, and Qian has been a mercenary for a while at this point, so really the fight was tipped in his favour from the beginning. I like talking about 'power balancing' so you may see some more analysis like this footnote later on...  
_

 _Now Cat Vs Misty isn't a cop out to get rid of them, since there will be other matches involving them. The author asked for a match between the two, I obliged. They will be leaving after the Third Task concludes though, and I don't think I'll be using them again...ever._

 _As for the title, well it was too good a pun to pass on and sort of explained the chapter in a nutshell XD_

 _Anyways, I hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more._


	42. A Battle Of Lovers

_"FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT-"_

 _"One 'FIGHT' is sufficient, thank you."_

 _"FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT-"_

 _"Please, stop saying that word!"_

 _"FIGHT FIGHT-"_

 _"JUST SHUT UP!"_

 _"Oh, so now YOU want to fight? Come on them. Come we go!"_

 _"Oh bother..."_

While the hosts were arguing like they always did, Cat and Misty were in the middle of their match. Cat charged forwards, swinging as he travelled forwards. His fist connected with a thick wall of ice that had not been there two minutes prior. The cheetah dashed back while the ice reached out like a long, clawed hand to grab his fist. He managed to avoid the ice-claw, as it slammed into the sand with almighty force. Cat tore forwards again, this time performing his lightning-fast paw seals as he dodged nimbly around the crashing fist.

* * *

"I hope he gets wrecked!" Zora said, far, far, _far_ too loudly.

"That's his girlfriend Zora, I highly doubt she's going to eliminate him. Now that would put a dent in their relationship." Pulsar chuckled at his own joke.

Zora looked at him with wide open eyes and an agape jaw. "That's it! That's perfect! I'll impersonate Misty, and take Cat down! Thanks for the advice buddy!" The kitsune punched the tanuki on the shoulder.

"We are not buddies, we are friendly acquaintances." But Zora was already gone. "Well speed really is your fortee."

* * *

Cat did the final seal just as the claw of ice grabbed hold of his leg and slammed him into the sand back-first. Stemming from his paws were long, shining claws of pure energy, which he used to smash the ice to bits, before twisting around to avoid a powerful tail-slam of his opponent. Misty hesitated before she hit him, she hesitated for far too long, and as a result was punched across the face by her opponent. Cat looked on in horror as she flew into the barrier. Had he just disqualified her? After they had promised _not_ to disqualify each other?

"Misty I'm sorry-"

A huge ball of water slammed into him from above, flattening him face-first against the sand.

"I said no holding back. Don't you dare apologize to me!" She lifted the orb of water, letting it freeze over her companion, before hurling him across the arena. He crashed into the barrier, creating a massive round dent in the wood. A moment later he tore through the ice. Misty frowned. It wasn't that she was letting him win, her body just didn't seem to want to hurt him. Somehow he had managed to complete his paw seals from inside the ice, which suggested that she hadn't frozen him as completely as she should have.

 _"You know, I'm starting to think none of this is real."_

 _"What does that mean?"_

 _"I think it's all fake. A show, with some really powerful special effects."_

Moving faster than before, Cat leapt into a roundhouse kick, which Misty blocked with a wall of ice. Instead of a fist flying out of it, this time the ice exploded into hundreds of tiny, sharp peaks that honed in on her opponent. Cat back-flipped away from them, burying the ice peaks into the sand. He stood there, completing his seals while Misty transformed the area, making the whole battleground much, much colder, so much so that snow began building up round the edges.

 _"See! If someone can just suddenly make snow from out of nowhere, then how come they can't end winter, and if they can end winter, why don't they? China can grow twice the crops and noone will starve."_

 _"Well-"_

 _"And look, if that guy can move so fast, why isn't he putting his speed to good use, eh? He could be an amazing one-mammal postal delivery service!"_

Suddenly, Misty's strong muscular tail slammed into his legs from behind, knocking him onto his back. His girlfriend's tail came back down to meet his face, only for the real Misty to knock him out of the way with a mighty blast of water. Zora landed in a snow bank, shivering madly, with his teeth clattering almost violently.

 _"And someone who can impersonate people as easily as that would also be a SPY in real life, not some tournament fighter."_

"This is our match! Don't you dare interrupt." Misty shouted at the stuck kitsune.

"Hey, I don't have anything against you, but your boyfriend-"

A large apple of ice slammed into his mouth, shutting up the multi-tailed fox rather effectively, he was then further bound under the growing mounds of snow, and gave her dirty look after dirty look along with incessant amounts of muffled complaining. Not that it made any difference.

Cat completed his seals, white energy was swirling over his paws, as he clicked his neck.

"Ready?"

"Oh, I'm always ready." He launched into a flurry of energy blasts, that shot out with the speed of cannonballs. Misty was quick on the uptake, forming barriers of ice that took the brunt of the impact. The ice then morphed into large shurikens, before Misty hurled them at the cheetah. Cat narrowly avoided each one as they came at him one by one. One buried into the barrier just above Zora's head, eliciting far more muffled shouting from the kitsune.

* * *

"Shouldn't you be doing something about this?" Zhanshi asked. Pulsar gave her a look.

"Zora had this coming to him. Besides, we're not friends. Friends are the ones that save each other's ass every day. Friendly acquaintances end the friendship when the acquaintance's life is concerned. Don't you know any of this?"

Viccori gave him a look.

"I mean you obviously do." Pulsar backtracked. "You definitely, totally, absolutely do. And you're right! I should go help Zora right now. Pleasedon't setyourguyonme, yeah see ya!" And with that the tanuki ran as fast as he could away from his seat.

"Now that was just abusing your power." Zhanshi chided.

"Well...can't afford getting you hurt." The porcupine replied, once again fixing Kuufu with an emotionless stare that spoke harder than any word could possibly hope to.

* * *

Cat tore forwards, hopping over the last shuriken and leaping off of it to deliver a devastating double-foot kick right onto Misty's chest, forcing the otter to slide backwards several feet. The cheetah then darted forwards once more, forcing Misty to go back into the defensive, his claws sliced the air inches away from her neck, before, finally, they arrived at the edge of the fighting area, his claws of aura pulsing gently as they touched her throat, while small beads of blood slipped out from a minute gash.

 _"It looks like Cat's won this."_

Zora was booing from behind the apple. Very, _very_ loudly.

 _"Can Misty pull a win?"_

The otter smirked. She could...but if they went as far as they could have the match would end with both their elimination, and that was absolutely no fun.

"I concede." She said.

Cat frowned a little, but knew her purpose, his aura claws vanished. "You were going easy on me." He said with a frown.

Misty looked slightly guilty. "I didn't want to hurt you."

He waved it off. "Next time, we're going full out. Once this tournament's over, me and you on Mount Fuji, we'll fight all day if we have to."

"And fight all night, in a different kind of way." She said with a wink that made him blush. She then pulled him in for a kiss, because that's obviously what romantics did after just winning a match, right?

 _"Ew, romance."_

 _"You were the one wanking over her-"_

 _"I was not wanking over her! I only said that as a joke, which the audience found very funny. RIGHT GUYS?"_

* * *

"Did your kids get even more hyper?" Qadim frowned at the question. It seemed they too, were changing. This tournament really was...bad news. They were rich enough now, and respected in the village. They could live happily...

* * *

 _"Yeah you said you wanted to wank over her, and were being totally honest about that!"_

 _"It wasn't even her, okay?! What's your problem?"_

 _"Oh, yeah, you were wanking over the fox!"_

 _"Why the hell are you trying to expose me?!"_

* * *

Then again A'waan and Azam had always been a bit...difficult.

* * *

Zora watched as Cat and Misty had a really, unnecessarily long make-out session in front of him. Mercifully, Pulsar came to free him.

Removing the apple, the tanuki watched as vines grabbed Zora by the scruff of the neck and freed him from the snow. He was shivering madly and shot his 'friendly-acquaintance' a claws up.

"You're welcome. Now come on, let's get you warmed up."

"B-b-b-but I-I w-w-w-w-wa-a-a-a-a-a-"

"You're going to freeze to death man. We'll watch the other fights." And with that the tanuki dragged his friend out of the arena.

* * *

"I wish I could break this one up." Qian muttered. Jian frowned. Why was his brother so immature? Then again they had been kissing for a really long time...

" _Okay! You're in love! Stop with the kissing!"_

 _"Yeah, okay, we've seen enough."_

 _"You know I'm just going to give Cat a three, for that stupid over-long romance."_

There was a grand mixture of boos, hisses, and cheers and whistles from the crowd.

 _"I HAVE THE POWER HERE PEOPLE! SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!"_

"I'll give you a seven, coz some of your moves were so flashy they were obviously fake. But even if they are fake, I'm impressed that you managed to release flash bombs in such a way as to make it look like Aura blasts." Master Flying Rhino chuckled, oblivious to the fact that Cat had been using _actual_ Aura Blasts.

Mrs Tamod bit her lip. She liked the cheetah, he was a fitting candidate for victor...but he was in a relationship. That complicated things... "Six points." She didn't elaborate.

Cat smirked. In total he had... _sixteen?!_ But that match had been so cool!

"Hahahahaha! I got more than you!" Qian taunted, while Jian facepalmed next to him (the other ferret had just been in the middle of a lecture about why they had to 'stay in the shadows' and 'not attract attention').

Cat narrowed his eyes. He felt Misty's paw on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll catch up to him in no time."

Cat smiled. "I'm already _way_ ahead of him."

Misty rolled her eyes. "Honestly Cat, you're so confident that one day you're going to get your face all messed up."

"But you'll still love me."

"Of course."

 _"NEXT!"_ A'waan shouted, just as they were about to begin kissing again.

 _"Oh yes, we have Pula, and Tianqi!"_

While Cat and Misty walked away Chang Shuimian helped the arena workers clear up the snow. Noone noticed him taking the small drops of red that had spilled out of Misty. He placed them into a phial, and watched the contents seriously. As he suspected Misty was no ordinary being, whatever she was. But the extraordinary were his specialty and this blood...needless to say he would be keeping it very safe. He hopped up and left the arena, as the horse clicked his neck and removed several scrolls from his person, while the skunk merely looked on in boredom.

* * *

 _Footnote: Lovey-dovey people are kinda easy to write after the whole Win segment of the Heist. But to avoid boring yall with the same old jokes, I provided new ones- here instead of loads of extras going 'daw' while the main characters look on in disgust/shock we get a pretty mixed bag of reactions (also easy to portray seeing as there are so many characters)._

 _I know that you really want your OCs out Cat, don't worry. Four or three more (can't remember at the moment) fights left to write with them and then they leave. I promise. Please don't make this more difficult than this already is._

 _More subtle developments, and I hope you are still reading this. But since it's already outright stated... Misty's blood is now the confirmed source of the Blood Potion's Power, for those of you who do not know what it is (I mentioned it very briefly a while ago in another story) it is the thing that made the Hemomancer and Xueye (if you remember them) what they are.  
_

 _Enjoy_


	43. Opposing Winds

Tianqi tossed the scrolls into the air, they landed open in the snow around him, and after a large amount of smoke puffed out from each one, he was surrounded by every weapon imaginable. There were his swords, a halberd, a spear, trident, wind and fire wheels, javelins, club, double-bladed axe, kunai and shuriken, assorted throwing knives of great variety, and a whip.

Pula's expression didn't change in the slightest, and the skunk merely loosened the knives on his person, and checked his stink capsules.

 _"Let battle begin!"_

Tianqi began by picking up the wind and fire wheels and charging forwards. Pula countered by hoping to the side of his charge, thereby avoiding an otherwise deadly blow. He launched a single knife at the horse, who blocked it by crossing the wheels in front of his face. This left his stomach open for Pula's subsequent kick. Tainqi slid backwards, deflecting the next throwing knife with his wind and fire wheel. The horse then flung both bladed circles at his opponent. They spun through the air like two deadly disks, which Pula only just avoided. The horse came back again, this time wielding only a spear, which he jabbed at his opponent's stomach. Pula twisted out of the way just in time, the spear-tip buried itself into the wooden barrier, and while Tianqi paused momentarily to tug it out, Pula hopped onto the wood and shot a knife straight at his head, which the horse only just managed to catch. Pula raced down the spear's shaft, displaying impressive balance, before landing a kick to his opponent's nose that jabbed the equine's head backwards. Pula then slammed both palms into the horse's chest, shoving him backwards into the snow.

The skunk looked the very image of a Kung Fu Master, balanced as he was on the shaft of the spear. Or at least until the shaft snapped and Pula fell forwards into the snow.

Tianqi rolled backwards, climbing to his feet he chose the club next, and tore forwards, hopping into the air he brought his weapon up, ready to bring it down on his opponent and advance further. Luckily, Pula rolled out of the way, the club hit the snow harmlessly.

* * *

Yue exhaled.

"Awwwww, were you scared for your foul-smelling skunk?" Mocked Alpha.

The punch he subsequently received shut him up rather effectively.

* * *

Tianqi only just dodged the knife that whistled past his ear, before bringing the club down again with a mighty yell. Pula then scrambled up the massive club and delivered a precise roundhouse kick across the skunk's muzzle. He followed up with two more throwing knives, which Tianqi deflected with a blast of air. The horse rolled to his feet and faced the skunk once more. Their eyes narrowed simultaneously. Tianqi dove into a roll and picked up his dao blades, spinning them expertly round his body.

* * *

"He's... really good." Lee commented. He had chased revenge so much, yet had never bothered to consolidate his skills...maybe if he had Duyao wouldn't be alive.

Han looked up and saw Tianqi. The horse had been nice to him...surely that was all an act as well. He went back to staring depressingly at his feet.

"Han...do you want to talk about it?" Lee asked gently.

"I'm fine." The wolverine said through gritted teeth, his voice noticeably deeper. Han shook his head. "Sorry...Baba Yaga..." He mumbled. He then got up and walked out of the arena.

Lee went back to watching the match. He saw Tianqi advancing on the skunk, deflecting the knives shot at him with the skill of a Kung Fu Master, but decided that Han was more important and hopped off his seat to chase after the wolverine.

* * *

Pula dodged rapidly as Tianqi manipulated the air into powerful slashes that tore gashes through the snow, but could not pin the skunk.

"You _are_ holding your breath!" Ai pointed out, making Yue exhale rapidly.

"I am not. This?! This is meditation."

She convinced noone.

* * *

Pula sent three knives at the horse, then went for his stink bombs.

Tianqi's eyes widened as the capsule flew through the air towards him. He pounced out of the way of it's impact, but was unable to exit the cloud of noxious green gas that surrounded the area. The horse exploded into a fit of coughing. _Gods it stunk!_

Pula, being immune to the stench, tore forwards to take advantage of his opponent's condition. The skunk landed a kick to Tianqi's chest, and brought his other in to slam into the equine's chin. Tianqi swung wildly, and although his fist did not connect, the air gave Pula the equivalent of a bitch slap. The skunk responded with a headbutt, before sweeping the horse's legs out from under him.

The green cloud deteriorated gradually, revealing Pula standing over his opponent, a knife at his throat.

 _"I think we've seen enough to call Pula the winner of this one. Sorry Tianqi, bad match up."_

 _"Yeah, we should probably end it now anyways. The third match is a little early to get all windy, if you know what I mean."_

 _"That is the worst pun I have ever heard."_

Pula hopped off the horse, and resumed his look of boredom. Tianqi let out a small growl of frustration. He should have anticipated a stink bomb of some kind! But he wasn't the kind to believe in stereotypes. Still, he wasn't out for the count yet. Though he might need to replace the spear...

 _"I'll give you an eight skunky-man!"_

 _"You demonstrated pin-point accuracy with your throwing knives-"Army should reall_

 _"Turning a fart into a weapon is somehow so right."_

 _"I like how it doubled as a smoke-bomb, very effective usage of it as well."_

 _"The Imperial Army should really be doing more work on this!"_

 _"I swear you have a fart fetish!"_

 _"Hey, I'm not the one who weaponized it!"_

 _"You should be a skunk I swear! Change your species!"_

 _"Just because I fart doesn't make me a skunk! Everyone farts!"_

Pula blinked. Getting compliments for using a stink bomb was something new...

 _A skunk_... No way was a skunk going to win her tournament! "Two points." Mrs Tamod gave no further commentary.

Master Flying Rhino pointed at the judges (who were now in the middle of a slapping match they probably thought looked as epic as the battles they commented on). "They summarized basically everything about you. But in light of some," he gave a loud fake cough which sounded a lot like 'discrimination' "I'll give you ten points."

* * *

Qian giggle in glee. "I'm still in the lead."

Jian rolled his eye.

* * *

 _"That, ladies and gents puts Pula the Pungent in second place with twenty points in total."_

"He got more than me too!" Cat complained.

"The commentators are immature." Misty explained with a nonchalant shrug. "I'm sure you'll go through." She added to comfort him.

Cat shrugged. "It's just a tournament. Nothing worth getting worked up about anyways."

 _"Neeeeeeeext up Cat vs Yue!"_

Cat jumped into the air. "YES! YES! YES! YES! NOW I GET TO SHOW ALL OF YOU HOW MUCH ASS I CAN KICK!"

Misty rolled here eyes. _Typical Cat..._

"I don't think so." Said Yue. "Your opponent is me."

* * *

 _Footnote: You know for some reason this chapter took forever to write XD I don't even know what to say here in the Footnote. The next fight will be a doozy. For those interested I don't know the definition of doozy but I've heard it used in similar sentences, so I just used it there because I can :)  
_


	44. A Fight Between Felines

Narrowed eyes met narrowed eyes as the cheetahs faced off against each other. One was wearing an overconfident smirk, the other was wearing a look of complete, serious concentration.

"Come on Cat you can do it!" Misty cheered from the stands.

"Excellent! We came just in time to watch Cat get his ass kicked!" Zora exclaimed, punching his fist into a waiting palm. Vines crept up around him and a moment later the kitsune was bound to his seat. "Pulsar!?"

"Sorry, but I really can't have you intervening in another match. Do you know how far I had to walk to get down there?"

"It's not that far!" Then the vines crept around his muzzle and clamped it shut. Pulsar sighed in relief.

"That's much better."

 _"In one corner we have the legendary bow-woman Yue!"_

 _"And in the other corner we have the really speedy cheetah Cat!"_

 _"Fight!"_ Screamed the hosts in unison.

 _"Gosh I love saying that!"_

 _"Nah I think we need something more unique..."_

Cat smirked a little. From what he had seen of his opponent she wasn't anything to be too worried about. All she had done was get skunked in the last task, and had only managed to go through by drawing. This would be a piece of cake!

He charged directly towards her, but was slowed down in his assault by an arrow that narrowly missed his neck. To his surprise the arrow exploded, knocking him off balance and making his left ear ring. Before he could even get to his feet another arrow exploded to his right, and sharp bits of clay flew at him, opening a few cuts along the side of his face. He tried to get up again, but had to block the next arrow, and dodge the fourth.

 _"See I told you Area of Effect Attacks existed!"_

 _"That's not area of effect-"_

 _"But it affected an area-"_

"Come on Cat don't underestimate her!" Misty called. How typical of him... In his rush to prove that he was an excellent fighter he had charged right into his opponent's ploy... typical Cat.

While he steadied himself, Yue was silently and methodically pressing her paw against the snow, hiding trap after trap under the frozen water, creating a field of deadly traps around her, invisible to the naked eye. She fixed another arrow to her longbow and watched her opponent get to his feet. As expected he was overconfident and brash- his only feat so far had been narrowly winning against a preteen...that said a lot.

Cat shook his head. He had severely underestimated her so far, but that didn't mean he had lost yet. On the contrary, she had just warned him to be more careful. He retreated backwards, and began performing his paw seals.

Yue released at exactly the right moment, her arrow sailing over towards him, and forcing him to deflect-thereby cutting him off mid-seal. Calmly, Yue put another arrow to her bow and drew it.

Growling in frustration, Cat cracked his knuckles. He didn't need any techniques anyway! From what he had seen she was pretty weak in close combat, that meant he only had to get close to her. He tore forwards, nimbly dodging her next arrow, before pouncing towards her. Yue spun on her heels, narrowly avoiding a knock-out blow.

Cat wasn't as lucky.

The bear-trap's teeth sunk deep into his leg, pinning him in place. He released a cry of pain, before lashing out in a roundhouse kick (bear-trap and all) that caught Yue on the side of the head and knocked her off her feet.

* * *

Pula inhaled sharply and placed a paw to his chest. For some reason his heart was beating very fast. Like he had just run a race.

* * *

 _"So far Cat has walked right into her waiting trap, but has also managed to land a direct hit!"_

 _"Who will come out on top? Find out next time in Azam-A'waan Hour!"_

 _"No find out now by watching the fight!"_

 _"Mine was more catchy!"_

 _"Was not!"_

 _"Was too!"_

Cat bent forwards and dug his claws into the side of the trap, before prizing it apart with brute strength alone and freeing his now-bleeding leg. Gods what was wrong with him? He should have expected something like that!

Yue was rising to her feet, but Cat didn't dare take any more chances. He brought his arms down with all the strength he could muster, and to his surprise Yue blocked.

"How!?" He exclaimed. "You shouldn't have been fast enough to block that!"

"Speed doesn't matter if I see your attack coming." She replied, before going in for a leg sweep. Cat hopped over it, and planted his bleeding leg square on her forehead, knocking her backwards. Mid-air Yue steadied herself and landed in a plank, her face an inch away from a bear-trap.

* * *

Pula gasped louder than anyone when the trap snapped shut with a loud clang. He found himself being stared at by everyone in the vicinity. Hell even the commentators had heard it!

 _"Hey wasn't she freaking out when he was fighting the horse?"_

 _"Aw that's so sweet they're worried for each other!"_

 _"Shall we ship them?"_

* * *

Yue rolled away from Cat's next attack before slamming her fist into the side of his leg. She dived away and reclaimed her crossbow-only to be sent flying by an uppercut to the chin.

 _"Shall we call them Pue or Yula?"_

 _"I prefer Yula. We can make it an abbreviation!"_

 _"You Understand Love, Aaaaaaah?"_

 _"That's perfect!"_

Yue rose with a massive frown on her face. She had just started talking to her lazy, constantly-bored roommate and now she was getting shipped with him. Then again there was more to him than being lazy and constantly bored...

Cat was upon her before she could give Pula more thought, and Yue was forced to narrowly weave through his punches. She hated close combat! She just needed.. positioning.

* * *

 _"Come on skunky! Don't let your girlfriend get harassed by that guy!"_

 _"Yeah! Don't let her get stolen by someone of her species! Interbreeding for life!"_

Mrs Tamod bit her lip. _Interbreeding... gosh no wonder these people were poor._

Pula sunk low in his chair. He had spoken like three times to the loud, bossy, disciplined feline that was his _roommate!_ And he was now being shipped with her in public!? Then again... there was more to her than being loud and bossy...

* * *

Yue dodged a swing that would have knocked her out on the spot and took a step backwards. She ducked under a kick, and stepped backwards. One more attack, another step backwards. And then...

As expected Cat came in with a right hook. He overstepped, and landed on her trap.

An ugly, four foot iron spike, with multiple smaller barbs on it, exploded out of the ground and flew upwards into it's target. Which happened to be Cat's posterior. The cheetah was launched into the air with a scream of pain, and Yue regretted having lost her bow. He was such an easy target...Cat landed on his front, groaning in agony.

 _"That is both really cool and really gross. I mean like it's gory... and right in the ass and why the hell are you looking at it?"_

 _"It's our job to observe!"_

 _"Yeah but we're not getting payed to observe that!"_

 _"In case it's not obvious guys Yue has just won the match through um... really clever usage of... well you know."_

* * *

Pula let out a sigh of relief, for a moment there he had been worried. Several of his swings had only just missed her... Worried? He hadn't been worried! He was only sweating because... well it was hot wasn't it?

* * *

"Yes! I'm so glad he got beaten! Take that pussy cat!" Zora then began cackling maniacally.

Pulsar rolled his eyes. " _This_ is why after ten years we're still friendly acquaintances."

* * *

Misty rushed off of the stands to her injured student. She frowned. "I told you not to underestimate her!" She scolded angrily. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Can you scold me when I'm not in immense pain?" Cat pleaded.

Misty sighed. "When we get back to the Palace I am going to teach you to not underestimate people!"

"Misty!" He moaned.

"Fine! Just a minute."

* * *

Meanwhile Yue was receiving her score.

"That was very good!" Master Flying Rhino praised. "In fact I think I'll give you ten out of ten for _not_ using a 'supernatural' crutch." There was much cheering for this statement. "Or anything that is particular to your species. I expected some high-speed action and while you did deliver on that you were more focused on winning than showing off! Congratulations!"

 _"Yeah you were pretty cool."_

 _"I love the way you seemed like you could almost predict where he was going to go next!"_

Yue wanted to facepalm. She _had_ been able to predict where he was going next. Hence her victory.

 _"Eight out of ten!"_

Mrs Tamod pursed her lips. On the one hand Yue was a far better candidate than the other victors. A mercenary that was too small, an arrogant cheetah, a stinky skunk... but she was a girl and Mrs Tamod would never let her daughter marry in that way. She almost shuddered. It would forever shame their name. "Six out of ten."

 _"That puts Yue on the same level as Qian! Congratulations the pair of you are both in the lead with a total of twenty four!"_

"I think you should lighten up with the points." Flying Rhino said, turning to the old cat. "I mean a six seems kind of low."

Mrs Tamod wanted to roll her eyes. This rhino had no idea...

* * *

"You did good." Pula said in dull monotone by way of congratulation.

"Thank you." Yue replied curtly, taking the seat next to him.

Neither spoke of the shipping.

* * *

 _"Next up is a dooooooooooooooooozy!"_

 _"You don't know the meaning of that word."_

 _"Viccori vs-"_

The porcupine bolted upright, and fixed Kuufu with a stare that showed a hint of cruel hunger. He was going to enjoy this!

 _"Misty!"_

He didn't let the disappointment show. He would get Kuufu in the next match then...

 _"So we're just gonna wait for Misty to fix her boyfriend's butt... and then we can watch these guys fight!"_

* * *

 _Footnote: I think Cat would have won if this had been his first match-but because he scored so little in his first match, and promptly saw everyone else getting more points than him he acted without thinking, and as a result lost his match. Hope you are satisfied with the match. The next one was suggested a while back (back when I recieved all the competitors to begin with) and I think it's probably the most fair match-up, except perhaps Duyao vs Misty or Duyao vs Viccori- especially for two characters that BY COMPARISON TO MOST OTHERS are VERY STRONG (OP is a word that is thrown around way too much in my opinion). That isn't necessarily a bad thing it's just that coming up with match-ups are harder since most end up stomp matches (see Misty vs Jian, Viccori vs Mr Wo, Viccori vs Zora and Pulsar). But the next one won't be, I assure you.  
_


	45. Brawl of the Broken

The otter and the porcupine stared at each other up until the gong struck.

 _"Where is that gong?"_

 _"I had it a minute ago!"_

 _"Yeah, just give us a minute!"_

Viccori focused on his game plan. From what he had seen the otter was probably the most powerful after him. She had control over water, which she could heat and freeze instantly. Her close-combat wasn't as good as her attacks from a safe distance. She was larger than him, but size mattered little. She could also summon a large quantity of water from out of nowhere. He gently fingered his potions. He wouldn't need that many, but her ability to heal would no doubt be a nuisance. Healers always were. And she had cured herself of a rather deadly poison without much difficulty. His face betrayed nothing as he waited for the signal.

Misty frowned. This porcupine had won his last match rather easily. Then again so had she. He had moved incredibly fast, and had delivered shocking amounts of force. If his punches could smash solid walls of amethyst her ice would be of little value. Her best bet was to keep him as far away from her as possible. If possible she would have to freeze him completely, then her victory was guaranteed. Though freezing him was definitely not going to be easy.

 _"You're sitting on it!"_

 _"I am not!"_

 _"Stand up!"_

 _"Here it is!"_

Then the gong struck.

Misty started by placing her paws together, forcing a large spring of water to pop out of the snow, and scatter the water everywhere. Viccori watched the water gush towards him, and noticed the sharp shards of ice hidden within. He dodged at the last moment, letting the water crash into the ground and bury the ice into the now-uncovered sand. He drew a phial, uncorked it, and was forced to dodge again before he could drink it. Then the snow behind him rose and melted in an instant, becoming a great tidal wave that came crashing down on him. Misty then let the water freeze.

Huh, that had been easier than she had thought.

 _"Well that was anticlimatic."_

 _"Yeah, really thought we'd have a tough one on our paws..."_

Only then did they notice that the water around Viccori was not frozen, and that the porcupine was drawing his fist back. The ice shattered like glass, and the water slipped through and into the earth.

Misty blinked in surprise. "How?" He should have been frozen solid!

Viccori indicated the empty phial. "This potion negates all magical effects. Once this got into the water you had no more control over it."

Misty's eyes narrowed. So he was smart as well as strong? Well she wasn't going to be outsmarted so easily! And he was dumb for telling her what his potions did! Like really, why did people always spell out exactly what their techniques did? Misty had no more time to ponder this conundrum, as Viccori was coming towards her. She raised a thick block of ice, with which she was ready to trap him in if needed, when to her surprise the porcupine raced round it and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the side of her face, that sent her flying through her own wall of ice.

* * *

Cat felt his furs rise and his paws tighten into fists. If that sorry excuse for a pincushion so much as scratched Misty too hard...

* * *

Viccori stood calmly, waiting for her to rise. He could have finished her in literally a hundred different ways in that time, but he wanted to see what she was capable of. Besides... Kuufu would not be going anywhere and he wanted to give the fox an idea of what he'd be feeling.

Misty got to her feet, feeling the painful purple swelling on her cheek where Viccori had hit her. Then without warning she attacked. Her tail flew towards him, with shards of ice forming spikes as sharp as swords on the tip. It could cut through armor, flesh, fur and feathers alike. But upon swallowing another potion the shards of ice shattered against the chest of Nicollo Viccori. As a response he grabbed her by the tail, and swung her round, before throwing her into the barrier.

Misty softened her landing by piling up the snow. Then, she melted it and let it float as balls of hot water in the air, before charging forwards to continue with close combat.

* * *

"How is she faking that?" Master Flying Rhino asked with narrowed eyes.

Mrs Tamod raised an eyebrow. "Master Flying Rhino, I mean no disrespect but-"

"Ah I get it! It's dry ice, and she's holding it up with wires! Bingo!"

The cat frowned. How did he ever become a Kung Fu Master?

* * *

She swung down at him, but Viccori dodged. He was forced to retreat backwards as the hot water shot into the sand with the strength of a firework. Growling in anger she slammed her paw into the ground. The water from all around shot into the air, as if propelled from a fountain.

* * *

"Woah! I love how much work you put into this! The timing is perfect, like the second her paw hits the ground the water shoots up from everywhere!"

 _"Um Master Flying Rhino sir, with all due respect..."_

 _"Yeah, we really wouldn't want to offend you."_

 _"It's just that... it's not us doing it?"_

Master Flying Rhino guffawed and whacked Mrs Tamod across the back. "You _need_ to tell me where you got these two from!"

* * *

The water came flying back down to where Viccori stood, but affected him no more than a weak punch.

"That's the best you've got?" His voice was devoid of emotion, save for a hint of disappointment.

Misty felt herself growling. If she used this move and lost she would be out of the running for sure, but the tournament wasn't that important... Either way she doubted loosing would come into the equation...

"No... this is." She raised the water once more, and let it circle around her like a great, transparent serpent.

* * *

Cat laughed from the stands. "Your boyfriend is _so_ screwed!"

Zhanshi fixed him with a silencing glare. "Because throwing more water at him is going to make a huge difference?"

"No, but _that_ might."

* * *

Misty's fur was changing from brown to a dark red. Her claws were growing longer, her fangs were growing longer, Misty herself was growing slightly taller. Even her eyes were changing colour, their normal blue was fusing with red, so that they now shone a dark purple. Her tail split in two and healed itself. Markings appeared all over her body in a brighter red, strange markings of a long-dead language. A jewel lay on her forehead, glowing the same colour as the markings. To top it all off a halo of black, bat-like wings appeared, floating atop her head.

 _"So she makes her fur go red too? I've already seen Han do that."_

 _"Yeah, and two tails... please lady we have a fox with ten!"_

 _"The halo is new, though."_

 _"And the scythe."_

 _"And the water turning into blood."_

 _"Yeah that last one's kinda creepy."_

 _"Very creepy."_

She stood there, twirling a scythe in her paws. It was long and red, with two blades shining hungrily. The water that had flown around her was a deep shade of crimson now. The colour of blood.

* * *

Chang Shuimian smirked and patted the phial hidden amongst his feathers. So he had been right about her.

* * *

 _"To be honest though, I think she looked prettier before."_

 _"Yeah... the fangs are somewhat off putting."_

 _"And the tails."_

 _"Not really my colour, either."_

"Scared?" Misty taunted, entering her stance. The blood behind her rearing up to form a dragon.

"I don't get scared." Was Viccori's reply as he uncorked another potion. He threw the empty phial into the sand and darted forwards, his fist pulling back to deliver a crippling blow. Misty caught the swing and stopped his momentum. His eyes widened ever-so-slightly.

"You should try it sometimes." The otter hurled him backwards into the barrier. Viccori crashed through the wood with the force of a cannonball. He heard the crowd gasp in shock.

 _"So Viccori was moving ultra-fast and then the Ugly-Misty caught his fist and threw him into the wall-daaaaaaaaaaaaaayum this tournament's making me hungry!"_

Misty offered no respite and swung the scythe. Viccori dodged nimbly to the side, watching as her weapon tore effortlessly through the barrier, showering the arena with splinters of broken wood. He rolled forwards as the scythe was brought down again. Misty swung it madly and the blunt side caught him hard across the cheek. The porcupine rubbed at the spot and withdrew another phial.

 _His strength lies in his potions... if I can get him away from those then I can win._ With a battlecry to match an army's, Misty swung the scythe back at him. Viccori caught the weapon by it's shaft, and immediately felt his paw start burning, as if he was touching magma. With a cry of pain he pulled free of the scythe, only to have both tails crash into his chest and knock him backwards. Once more he crashed into the barrier. A quick glance at his paw made him wince. The scythe had burnt through fur and flesh alike and had gone for his blood, which now ran down his paw.

"Interesting weapon you've got." Viccori grunted, rolling out of the way of a ball of boiling blood.

"It has a mind of it's own." Misty spoke casually. "It feeds on the blood of those who hold it."

"Generally, I prefer it if my weapons don't cut me when I use them." A quick pat along his belts told him that his potions were out of commission. A small growl evaded him. She was not making this easy. Withdrawing several small, grey pellets, the porcupine scattered them. Smoke exploded all around the arena.

 _"Oh come on man!"_

 _"How are we meant to know who wins if you don't show it to us?!"_

 _"The suspense is going to kill us all!"_

* * *

Qadim stared at his feet. "Badr?"

His son glanced at him.

"If you have to fight either of these two... please... withdraw."

A brief flash of anger crossed the cat's face and Badr went back to watching the match without another word.

"Badr... I think dad's right." Offered Xiao Bao. "We're rich enough from A'waan and Azam's commentary. We won't have to starve anymore."

Badr did not speak and his sisters shrugged, but Qadim kept frowning deeply.

* * *

 _Footnote: Yes the suspense is going to kill you._

 _Gosh writing this was hard. I don't really feel like writing anything at the moment but this story hasn't been updated since April. How many months can a guy go without updating before he looses all his readers? The answer to that is 'depends on the guy'.  
_

 _Now Viccori vs Misty, this fight was suggested waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back (over a year ago back when I started this story) by Mind Jack, who owns Viccori. Both are ridiculously powerful and it seems natural that they'd have to fight eventually. While writing this I also made a realization about my characters in terms of strength. The villains are the only ones that are 'OP'. I suppose it's mostly coz my fics are generally ensemble of some kind, so it makes sense that it takes a bunch of heroes to have to work together to take down the OP guy (who is generally the villain). Duyao, Badr, the Hemomancer (I'd say those three are probably my most memorable villains) all extremely strong. Saras, Li I, Han Guan, Kunjingle Mid-Way. Just something I've noticed._

 _Anyways I hope you enjoy this hook for the next fight, I'm not going to make any promises as to when anything gets updates. Enjoy._


End file.
